The Root of All Evil
by LordAnarchy666
Summary: Rewrite of HP&TROAE. After being hit with Voldemort's Killing Curse, Harry is faced with two options; to die, or to be sent back in time before the Root of All Evil can manifest itself. Choosing life, Harry emerges into the unknown. Harry/Rowena Ravenclaw
1. Prologue

The Root of All Evil lies in the hearts of every man. Wealth, beauty, fame - they are all a lesser part of the bigger evil. Man wishes himself to be in the history books as a name never to be forgotten. Man wishes for songs and ballads to be written about him, his name toasted and his family always respected. Man is afraid of dying. They are afraid of dying without having made a lasting impression on the world. They are afraid of dying without a legacy. Man, wizard, or something else, their desires are all the same.

Immortality.

Immortality is a pipe dream to most, nothing more than a fanciful idea. To some though, the mere possibility is too enticing to ignore. Some men would do anything for the chance to live forever. The most benign of men can turn into the most evil, the holiest of men can turn into the most blasphemous, and the most loyal of men can turn into the most traitorous. All for the chance of being remembered for all of eternity… and to be around _for_ eternity. To some, there is no price too high.

So what of the man who sacrificed himself to save the world? The one man, the one wizard, who was not afraid of dying, and accepted it? The one wizard who was so selfless in his actions, that in return, he became something that everyone else wanted?

That wizard, of course, is Harry Potter.

He was ready to die. He was looking forward to finally meeting his parents and his godfather.. Instead, he got something unexpected. Something that guaranteed the remembrance of his name for eternity, one way or another - the chance to purge the Root of All Evil.

All books have a beginning, but not all books have an end. How are we to know where to start when the book is infinite? All we can do is take it one chapter at a time.

**The Root of All Evil**

~~~~~~~[]{}888{}[]~~~~~~~

Prologue

_Harry could feel his wand against his chest, but he made no attempt to draw it. He knew that the snake was too well protected, knew that if he managed to point the wand at Nagini, fifty curses would hit him first. And still, Voldemort and Harry looked at each other, and now Voldemort tilted his head a little to the side, considering the boy standing before him, and a singularly mirthless smile curled the lipless mouth. _

"_Harry Potter," he said very softly. His voice might have been part of the spitting fire. "The Boy Who Lived."_

_None of the Death Eaters moved. They were waiting: Everything was waiting. Hagrid was struggling, and Bellatrix was panting, and Harry thought of everyone he was doing this for, all his friends. Ron, Hermione, and - _

_Voldemort had raised his wand. His head was still tilted to one side, like a curious child, wondering what would happen if he proceeded. Harry looked back into the red eyes, and wanted it to happen now, quickly, while he could still stand, before he lost control, before he betrayed _

_He saw the mouth move and a flash of green light, and everything was gone. _

888

The Nothingness engulfed Harry as he awoke, tired and exhausted, yet full of energy all at once. The Nothingness was a room, colorless and odorless, but somehow it had substance - a tangibility of sorts. There were no walls to the room, yet he felt like he was enclosed, but the understanding was out of his grasp. There was no light, for none was needed - the room was adequately illuminated with an otherworldly glow. There was nothing of note in the area, as he could not call it a room. The word 'room' denotes a size, a shape or an enclosure, but for all he knew, the area was infinite.

Panting, the young sacrificial wizard felt like he had a bad nightmare. Yet he did not even have to breathe in this place. His body seemed intact, or at least what he remembered of it. Perhaps it really was just a dream?

Harry noticed a man sitting in a chair. He wasn't sure how he missed it before, the man or the chair, but one second there was nothing, and in the next, he was no longer alone. The man looked very old, but he _felt_ familiar. Harry felt like he _should _have known who this was. The man was wearing a heavy cloth robe, in a mix of earthly grays and blues, along with a worn blue, cliché, wizarding hat. Harry, however, was drawing a blank. He walked up to the man, stopping a foot short of touching distance.

"Am I dead?" Harry blurted out. He had no idea what was going on, and that question was the first thing he thought of to ask.

"Ah, a good question," replied the old man. "That answer depends on you."

"Where am I?" Harry tried again.

"That, again, depends on you. This place exists, and doesn't. It simply is."

"Wow, you sound like Dumbledore," Harry grumbled. "So I got hit by the Killing Curse. What happened next?"

"Hm, straight to business then," the man said, sitting up in the chair. "Very well. Yes, you did get hit by Voldemort's Killing Curse," the man confirmed. "But something happened that neither one of you had foreseen. You were Tom Riddle's unintentional seventh horcrux..."

The man got out of his chair and started pacing around.

"The Killing Curse is a fascinating spell. It works in ways most mortals cannot comprehend, but simply put, it severs the bonds that tie a soul to the mortal plane. The Killing Curse destroyed the Horcrux that was within you. Destroying the soul leaves no outward damage, you've seen what Dementors can do. But Voldemort's soul fragment was attached to your own… two souls partially intertwined within one body.

Harry reflexively touched the scar on his forehead. "My scar?"

"Correct," answered the man. "However, that bit of soul was so entrenched with your own, after seventeen years of symbiotic relationship, it attempted to take your own soul with it."

"And?" Harry asked, subconsciously leaning in closer to the man.

"The result is something that should not occur in the mortal realms, not naturally at least, so I have intervened."

"So who are you?" Harry asked.

"I am a being of magic, no longer bound to this plane of existence, an emissary of sorts. I was once known as Myrddin Emrys – Merlin for the common folk. Magic is all around us. We breathe it in, we smell it, we use it every day. Anything and everything can be done with magic."

"So I was brought here by magic?"

"Not just any magic. - your magic. Someone of lesser knowledge than me may call it fate. To the eyes of a normal mortal wizard, fate and magic may be indistinguishable. But to someone like you, who has experienced it, will know better. Magic is our life, and our very existence. Fate is what you make of it."

"So, uh, how did you become an emissary of…magic?" Harry asked. He wasn't in the mood for philosophy lessons from a barmy old... whatever he was.

"Well, it was the wizards who did it really. Society still remembers my name after nearly two thousand years. As long as people continue to believe in me, I will continue to exist. However there are more important things here. You have two choices."

"I'm listening," Harry responded, not really understanding what was going on.

"Your first choice is to die," Merlin said bluntly. "However, Voldemort is still alive, with a Horcrux left, not to mention his immense magical prowess. Even if he had no Horcruxes he would be a very tough opponent. You can hope that your friend Neville finishes off the snake, and then hope by some miracle Voldemort gets killed. I would estimate the chance of success is about ten percent."

"And the other?" Harry asked, not liking where this was going.

"You live. But you are going to be sent back to a time before you become a Horcrux."

"What? Time travel?" Harry gasped, astonished. "You want me to relive my entire life? Ten years of the Dursley's?"

"You will retain all your memories and magic. _And_ your body… probably. However it is not as simple as that. You will be sent back before the first real Horcrux is made. The _very_ first," exclaimed Merlin.

"When… ?"

"One thousand years ago. A once noble wizard fell down the dark path experimenting with magics that are better left untouched. He may not have created the first Horcrux, but he was the first one to document his research, allowing others to copy his work. Work that promotes murder in order to gain immortality. He was a Parselmouth, and the ancestor of your arch nemesis.

"No…" said Harry, horror apparent on his face. "Salazar Slytherin?"

"Correct. You have to go back to the age of the Founders and prevent the idea of Horcruxes from ever being known. They are a blemish upon nature, distorting the natural order of the world, and disrupting the balance. Their effects reach all the way into this plane of existence. The soul is not meant to be split."

"So I am being sent back a thousand years into the past... Do I get any help?" Harry asked, still unbelieving of what was being told to him.

"Before I answer that, there is one more thing you need to know. Prophecy. You have heard it, and time traveling does not change the fact that it still applies to you. "

Harry blinked his eyes a few times, trying to process what he just heard. "Are you suggesting that I still have to defeat Voldemort? A thousand years after I complete this Salazar business?"

Merlin nodded his head gravely. "There is no deadline on Salazar, but history has a tendency of repeating itself. Voldemort will be born again, no matter how hard you my try to prevent it, I guarantee you that."

"If that's the case, wouldn't that be, and this sounds weird to my own ears, the future Harry Potter's problem?"

Merlin made direct eye contact with Harry. "You are not the type of wizard to just dump your problems on another, are you? No, you are not. You never were, and you never will be. You are not even twenty years old, yet you have faced more in your years than most men do in their entire lifetimes. You would not put that burden on another if there was something you could do about it."

"It's a bit unsettling to hear someone actually say that We are talking as if there are two of me, and if what your saying is correct, I have a thousand years to worry about that. I'm having trouble even believing this is happening, let alone a future me that is not really me." Harry paused a few minutes to collect his thoughts. "I now understand why time travel can be confusing. Ok, so how am I going to live for a thousand years? I can't even imagine myself at that age."

"Listen closely. It is possible to take some items back in time with you, but it has to be a precise amount. Seven is the most magical of all numbers and the most stable, so you will be able to take seven items with you, with some limitations. They can be anything that you have personally owned, past or present. Choose wisely, because there are no second chances. " As he said that, seven chests materialized in the room. They were large and ornate, with tarnished metal overshadowing the aged wood.

"What! How am I supposed to live a thousand years?" Harry asked again. "And what am I supposed to do to pass the time?"

"Well you know the answer to the first part if you think about it. And to the second, there will always be another person to take the previous Dark Lord's place, such is the nature of our society. I suggest keeping our world in balance to be a good motive, while keeping your existence a secret to the majority. Your task is vital, but even the knowledge of the nature of your task must remain as much of a secret as possible."

Harry walked up the chests and started to mentally make a list of what would be useful, while secretly hoping he was having a bad dream. The situation was beyond real. Nothing in his life had prepared for him for this, but that was the harsh reality of it all. When has he ever been prepared? And now, he was having that exact opportunity.

"Hmmm, well, I think a method of travel would be important, so I will take my Firebolt." Harry reached into the first chest and pulled out his beloved broom.

Merlin was not impressed by Harry's choice, but he said nothing of it.. "And your second choice?" prompted the emissary.

"My invisibility cloak," Harry replied after a few seconds deliberation. He grabbed the silvery cloak out of the second chest.

Merlin nodded his head in approval. "Good. Five choices left. You might want to think of how to survive for so long. You can't escape a prophecy with time travel, once you've heard it, you've heard it. There's a reason most of them are self-fulfilling," Merlin reminded him.

Harry scratched at his chin, deep in thought. "Well, I suppose a Philosopher's Stone would do the trick." Harry reached into the third chest, but pulled out nothing.

"Good idea, but you never technically owned one."

"Ugh, how else can I live for that long?" Harry asked, put out. He had yet to realize the actual scope of what was happening to him. Living for a thousand years was not something a teenager could comprehend. Not many people could.

"Think about it, you have the answer already."

Holding the few items he already chose in his hand, Harry though quite hard over his predicament. If becoming immortal was so easy, more people would be doing it. The only methods he could think of were Horcruxes, the Philosopher's stone, and if the legends were true, then the Deathly Hallows as well.

Upon realizing that he was holding one of those very Hallows in his hand, Harry knew he had the answer. "I would like the Resurrection Stone and the Elder Wand."

A smile came across Merlin's face upon hearing that answer. "You do own all three, and they will accomplish what you need them too."

"How do I own the wand?" Harry asked, surprised. He'd never even held the thing.

"The wand only has the stigma of being unbeatable. But once it does get beaten, it changes its allegiance to the victor. Its unique in that aspect, and very powerful, but it is not perfect. Draco had won the wand from Albus Dumbledore when he disarmed him on top of the tower, before Snape killed him. And you, just a few hours ago, disarmed Draco, and in the process, won the wand from him, and he didn't even know about the wand's special attributes.

"So, I somehow own a wand that I've never touched and currently is in Voldemort's possession?" Harry asked, summing up what Merlin just said.

"_Was_, in his possession, you mean. Magic works in mysterious ways, especially magic dating back before the formation of modern society."

"Yes, I can see that," Harry replied dryly. He reached into the new chest, and pulled out the two Hallows, completing the set. Right away, he could feel a strange magic coalescing around him, foreign, but not unpleasant. Holding the delicate wand in his hand, he took a minute to revere it, contemplating the power it held and its very bloody history.

"Such is the nature of old artifacts like these Hallows. Such powerful artifacts are difficult to understand for the everyday witch or wizard. Artifacts like that are hard to find, but they can be easily lost. Dumbledore held the wand for fifty years, but I suspect you could control it for much longer. He had hoped that his death would nullify the wand's power, but that plan did not work out."

Putting the Deathly Hallows off to the side, he gave his full attention to Merlin once more.

"You have three more choices to make, and I would choose carefully."

Continuing to think about the kind of items that would be useful during the time period, Harry realized he needed a good way to destroy Horcruxes. The answer to that was an item that he already knew would work. "I want the sword of Godric Gryffindor, so I can destroy a Horcrux if I am not quick enough with my quest."

"Very well. The sword isn't what destroys a Horcrux, it is the basilisk venom it is imbued within with from your encounter in the Chamber of Secrets. Also, the sword is not unique. Its creator, Ragnuk the First, is still alive in the time period, and is a master swordsmith."

"That's good, right? If I run into Godric somehow, he won't be suspicious."

"True. But, the sword is highly magical. It was crafted by Ragnuk so it can take on several different shapes should the wielder, for example, be more proficient with axes than swords."

"Useful," commented Harry.

"It's more for the Goblin's benefit than anything. If they sell a sword to a human, it has to be big enough for them to use. But when that human dies, they take back their weapon. What good would a five foot sword be to a four foot goblin?"

"That makes sense, in a morbid way." Harry finally went up to the chest and pulled out the glimmering sword. It was a perfect length for him now. He distinctly remembered it being far too cumbersome for him when he was twelve, but perhaps it was the magic of the sword in action. As he inspected the sword, it seemed to shift from its silver color into that of a darker, almost obsidian, sheen, but still obviously metallic. The handle got a similar treatment, turning from silver and into a golden bronze color. It didn't look anything like Godric's sword, especially now that his name was no longer on it. Harry's own replaced it, curling elegantly up the side of the blade, for about four inches above the hilt.

"So be it," said Merlin. "The sword has taken on your identity."

"What about my name though? Surely there are other Potters? I know my family is pretty old."

Merlin shrugged. "What is a name? It is what is on the inside that matters, in your heart, in your mind. Harry Potter is not exactly a rare name, and there are more than one Potter family that are completely unrelated to each other. Your name will not bring any suspicion to wherever you go, as long as you don't pretend to be a part of a family that you are not. I severely doubt that anyone in the future would make a connection to a Harry Potter from a millennia in the past, to what you will become."

"And what exactly will I become?"

"Who am I to say? What you become is your choice. It has always been your choice. Your fate has always been in your hands. You have the tools to sculpt a destiny. How you do that is your choice."

Harry listened to Merlin's words and their heavy impact, but they sounded almost surreal. "I don't think choosing between dying or time travel is much of a choice, if I'm honest."

"But you always do the right thing, don't you? That is your choice. You could move on, see your family and friends in the afterlife, your mother, father, Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Dumbledore... That would be the easy way out, and no one could begrudge you for that choice. But I know you would not leave Voldemort alive in the world, not while you still had the opportunity to do something about it."

"Again, that sounded strange coming from someone else's mouth," Harry replied dryly. "I don't think about any of that when I make my choices, I just do what I feel is right."

"It's the truth. It is one of your defining characteristics. It's what makes Harry Potter_, Harry Potter."_

"Right. Well, I guess I should decide on my next two items."

"There is no rush. No matter how long you take here, you will end up at the same time in the past. But deciding sooner rather than later would be preferable."

Harry nodded his head. "I think I am going to need some money. Since I will be virtually unknown, money will speak more than words."

"Sound logic. When one lacks political or military power, monetary power can often change the balance. But, you will have to be careful. It would be too easy to disrupt the economy of the time."

"I bet a Galleon would get me quite far. I think I _will_ take my vault." Harry reached into the sixth chest and pulled out a heavy sack containing several thousand galleons. It was clear to him that the sack was either magical, or gravity was off. The sack should have weighted hundreds of pounds,

"Very smart," said Merlin. "One hundred Galleons would have been considered a large fortune back then, and you've got a lot more than that. I'm sure the interest that gold will get over the course of a thousand years will be nice. Gringotts, of course, has been around for many thousands of years. I'm not saying that you couldn't do something else with that money though, create your own… business opportunities."

Harry voiced his acknowledgement. "I see. One more item then... I think it will take more than money to survive. It is going to take knowledge that I don't currently have as I know nothing of that period of history. I think maybe a repository… the Black family library?"

"If that is your choice, it will be done," Merlin said carefully.

Harry nodded his head one last time. "Yes. I want those books."

An almost disappointed look came across Merlin's face, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. "I don't think these books will be as helpful to you as you think. You've always been a better hands-on leaner."

"True, but a collection of historic references could be useful."

"It could, if history happens to repeat itself. There is no guarantee of that. Nothing happens when you expect it to, such is the nature of time, if it happens at all."

"I will take any possible advantage I can get. I just don't think I know enough about the time period to survive. Anything is better than nothing."

"That's your choice."

Harry nodded his head. Reaching into the chest, he withdrew a box full of miniature, shrunken books. Again, the weight seemed negligible. Inside the box were hundreds of books, if not thousands.

"Very well. I will tell you a few things, some advice and various bits information that you may find useful, before sending you off. You will find some things in time, no matter how hard you try, cannot be altered. Some events will play out the same, regardless of what you do. That is the nature of the universe; everything is bound to happen eventually. But, this may be less apparent to you, as you know very little about the history of your world."

"Not by choice," Harry retorted. "But by necessity."

"Regardless," Merlin continued, "Do not be surprised to learn that everything you have chosen to take with you already exists. You are bringing these items into a world in which they do not originate from. Those books have not yet been written, and broomstick flying is far from standard. The world does not revolve around you, remember that, but your actions can affect the development of society. Tread carefully."

"I understand."

"Oh, and I have something for your journey." He handed Harry an ordinary, inconspicuous looking bag. "It is called a 'Bottomless Bag'. It can hold anything, in any amount, as long as it doesn't surpass the magic's limit. I suggest you store your items in it, at least until you have safe residence."

"Useful," responded Harry. He inspected the extra-ordinary bag for a minute before placing his items in it. It looked worn, as if it had been used before, but perhaps that was just so it would fit in with the times.

"Are you ready?" Merlin asked. Harry nodded his head, at a loss for words. A thousand years was a hard thing to comprehend, no matter how understated it seemed. And then it was worth at least a few seconds to think of what would happened _after_ he finally accomplished his goals and vanquish Voldemort once and for all. A life with no tasks, no missions, no quests… a life without Voldemort. For Harry, it seemed like his work was never done, and although he knew it wouldn't be easy, he was ready for the next challenge.

"Then heed these words carefully. Never forget yourself, never forget your morals, and never forget your past. Follow your instincts - they are usually good."

"Tell me one last thing. Are you real, or has this just been happening inside my mind?"

Merlin gave Harry a smile. "All because this happened inside your mind, doesn't mean I'm not real."

With that, Merlin snapped his fingers and Harry disappeared in a flash of smoke.

"Maybe this time, _this _Harry will actually pull through," Merlin muttered to himself.

~~~~~~~[]{}888{}[]~~~~~~~

_**Author's notes:** Well here you have it, the first chapter of the rewrite of "Harry Potter and the Root of all Evil." I would like the thank **Joe6991** and **OnTheImportanceOfLungs** for helping me slog through what seems like a dozen rewrites of this chapter alone._

_As you can see, there are some big changes. The biggest one is not giving Harry a retarded name. Merlin, while cliche, still plays a minor role in the story, and I saw no real reason to take him out. I like the scenes with him, and he ties in with the plot in the later chapters. I don't write plot elements just for the sake of including them, you can be damn sure its going to pop up again when you least suspect it. When utilized properly, cliches can be a good read. But, there's wasn't really that many in the story to begin with, and after rewriting, there will be a few less. I hope you find this chapter to be better than the previous incarnation, because that is my overall goal. As for everything else, well, I guess you'll just have to wait for the next update._

_If you see any grammar mistakes, typos, poorly worded sentences, etc, please tell me where so I can fix them. I'm always trying to better myself as a writer._


	2. England, Circa 996

England, Circa 996

~~~~~~~[]{}888{}[]~~~~~~~

Landing on a dirt path, face down, Harry gave a few wheezing coughs. After carefully pushing himself back up onto his feet and brushing himself off, he immediately noticed his predicament.

"Damn, Merlin wasn't kidding when he said I would only arrive with my body and possessions!"

Completely naked, Harry instinctively reached for his holly wand, but didn't find it. He then searched for his glasses, but didn't find them either. As the initial disorientation passed, he realized that his vision seemed quite normal_ without_ his glasses, but there was still the problem of his nakedness. His body wasn't covered in the blood of the future, but he still didn't like his dangly bits hanging out for the world to see.

Thinking quickly, Harry went into his bottomless bag and pulled the Cloak of Invisibility over himself. Next to the Cloak, he spotted the Elder wand, which was a sign of great relief. Having a bag that can hold many things like Hermione's was a boon, and it truly started to dawn on him that he really was still alive and in the past.

Taking the wand out of the bag as well, he hesitated in conjuring an outfit. The clothing style of the era was a complete unknown to him – it wasn't exactly something they covered at Hogwarts.

More curious as to when he was rather than where, Harry cast a quick "tempus" spell. It may have been the most used spell in twentieth century wizarding society, but Harry had always been partial to a watch. Words flew out of his wand tip, unraveling in the air in a style reminiscent of Memory Riddle's anagram trick in the Chamber of Secrets. The magic formed the shape of a clock face, showing 12:05. Additional words spelled out August third, 996. The sun high up in the sky was the obvious indicator that it was near noon, and not midnight.

It wasn't exactly a thousand years in the past, but that was a minor detail. Harry kept his cloak on and decided to follow the road which was little more than a dirt path. He hoped he could find a village for food and shelter, and to discover what he should be dressed in. He needed to fit into the times. But food and water were his main priority - he could create a shelter, but not sustenance. After that, hiding his displaced temporal nature would be crucial.

The environment around him was nothing like he expected. The vast majority of Britain's trees had not yet been harvested, but a nearby grove did look to have significant burn damage, as if a battle had been fought there recently. In all actuality, one probably had. He could see charred ground, and there was a faint lingering smell of scorched meat.

Checking out the scene was Harry's first instinct, and if it was any other time, any other place, he would have, but the inherent risk was too great. It was completely possible that there were enemies still lurking about. He did not want to get involved in another conflict so soon, especially without knowing a single thing about where he was, let alone what kind of enemies would be roaming the lands. He continued on his way eastward without stopping.

Harry walked for three hours and still saw no signs of settlement. One of the things he really started to notice was how clean the air felt, and even tasted. It was so pure and unpolluted - he had no idea how dirty the future actually was until he breathed in fresh air.

But he was starting to grow uncomfortable. Harry recognized nothing, not even the mountains. The current view was nothing like the Scottish Highlands he saw daily while at Hogwarts. The weather was not a clue either, despite it being uncharacteristically pleasant for a summer day without a single cloud in sight. That did not settle his nerves though. He needed to see something familiar, but he hadn't seen a trace of humanity other than the old beaten path he was on.

Harry decided he was going to try apparition, but he had to think of a place that would exist in this time. His mind started to race, and he began to mutter to himself. He wasn't crazy, but he needed to hear a voice, even if it was his own. It was a reminder that he was still alive, against all odds.

"Hogwarts, surely, but I'm not ready to go there yet. Hmm, the Ministry is not around yet…" His train of thought continued as he filtered through wizarding locations, and Diagon Alley came to his mind quickly. "Gringotts surely, and Ollivander's - makers of fine wands since 382 BC. That's perfect."

Knowing that Ollivander's was probably around in one shape or form brought a smile to Harry's face. Picturing the dusty old shop in his mind, he summoned up his magic and with a thought, he apparated to Diagon Alley.

Dust billowed up upon his quick arrival, and the popping sound had more than a few people staring in his general direction. But, he was still invisible so no one actually saw him. After a few seconds, the people continued with their business as if the disturbance never happened.

Looking around at the Alley, Harry was surprised at what he saw. Amazingly enough, Ollivander's looked almost exactly the same as it did in his original time. Gringotts was much the same as well, its white marble façade looking extremely out of place and glittering in the overhead sun.

Other than those two buildings, the alley was a lot different. The ground was hard packed dirt and not the cobblestone he remembered. Dirt was everywhere in fact, and the stench was quite bad in some places.

The stores themselves were vastly different. The whole place had a distinct, open marketplace feel, and there were not a lot of stores. There were many vendors, traders, and peddlers, all trying to sell their goods, mostly out of wooden carts and stalls. There were very few permanent structures. It seemed to all be magical in nature, but Harry was unsure of the relationship between the muggles and wizards in this time. He knew that the International Statue of Secrecy didn't come around until the late 1600's, but that did not necessarily mean anything one way or another.

Deciding to look around a bit, Harry entered into the wandmaker's shop first. The inside was dusty, but not overly so. Wooden boxes upon boxes lined every wall for as far as he could see. They were marked in a way that he could not understand, but he was sure Ollivander knew every single wand in his shop inside and out.

Ollivander himself was off to the side, writing in a thick ledger with an ornate quill. It did not escape Harry's notice that this Ollivander bore an uncanny resemblance to the Ollivander he knew in the future. Everything from the eyes, to the hair, to the wrinkles on his face seemed identical.

The wandmaker, noticing the time-traveller, put his quill down to address him. "Ah Harry, I was wondering how long it would be before I saw you here. Impressive, it only took you three hours," he said.

"What?" Harry asked, confused. "How?"

Ollivander merely smiled and waited for Harry to figure it out.

"Oh Merlin…" Harry cursed loudly, "You're Merlin?"

"Keep your voice down, boy!" Ollivander scolded. "Do you want the whole world to know?"

"I knew there was something odd about you the day I first met you," Harry commented. "This does explain a lot."

"Keep your voice down! Don't draw attention to yourself. I know you seek answers, but you must first seek your own path in this world. Now is not the time for conversation. However, always know that I am watching," Ollivander said, disappearing into the back of his shop.

Harry scratched his head and stood dumbfounded for a moment before he turned around and left the shop. That wasn't what he expected, not at all. He also completely forgot that he was still wearing his invisibility cloak and nothing else. "That tricky old man…" He grumbled. It was more than a bit creepy.

Looking around and seeing what the locals were wearing, Harry conjured something similar. It was simple really, not too different than what he expected the muggles of the age to be wearing. Just some cloth pants, a plain belt, and a tunic. The shoes were quite basic as well, just from what he could see - serviceable. He also attached his sword in a similar style as the locals, for they had both wands and swords. The Elder Wand performed the conjuration easier than his old wand did, something he noticed right away, although that's not entirely unexpected. It is a legendary artifact after all.

A low rumbling sound reaching his ears was the first reminder of how hungry Harry was. He couldn't remember the last time he ate, but it was quite a long time ago. His hunger was to the point of almost being painful, but luckily there was no shortage of places to eat in Diagon Alley.

While a far cry from restaurants of the future, there were several pavilion-type buildings set up. The smell of food and the sound of laughter was a better advertisement than any sign, and it was more than enough to draw a starving Harry to the nearest one.

A large open fire pit with a boar roasting greeted him before he located the proprietor, a woman of around fifty. Harry took a seat at an old rickety table as the woman walked over to him.

"Welcome, how many I serve you, milord?" she asked. There were about a half dozen other men in the place eating meals, nursing tankards, and generally having a good time.

"Whatever is on hand, and something to wash it down," Harry responded, placing a Galleon on the table. The lady's eyes widened, and she quickly ran off to fill the order.

A few minutes later, the woman came back with a large plate full of meat. Harry couldn't tell what it was, but it looked and smelled good. She also poured a large tankard of some sort of alcohol.

She paid him back his change; sixteen Sickles and twenty-six Knuts. Harry smiled to himself; the meal cost him a total of three Knuts. One Galleon could probably feed him for the whole year, and that was good news. He ate the meal like he hadn't eaten in weeks. He couldn't identify what the drink was as the only alcohol he had had before was Firewhiskey. It would probably be referred to as ale by the locals, but either way it went good with the meal.

Finishing the meal, Harry left the food pavilion and decided to explore the Alley more. Many clothing racks, armor stalls and weapon vendors littered the marketplace, but there was no sign of the actually blacksmiths or tailors from where those items came from. Then again, the smoke from such a building could be quite detrimental to the densely populated area, impeding visibility and just generally being unpleasant.

There were very few actual stone structures, and aside from the marble Gringotts, most of the enclosed structures were made of wood. It wasn't a coincidence that there would be several massive London fires in the years to come.

Food could be found in many varieties as well outside the pavilions, from cheap, in season fruit to expensive foreign spices and everything in between that you could expect a Londoner to eat. It was a side to the wizarding world that he had never seen before – the day to day life of a medieval wizard, and it seemed very quaint to him even though it wasn't too different than the muggles' life of the time.

There were several distinctions that clearly marked Diagon Alley as magical, if Gringotts and the wandmaker weren't enough. Although there were no outwardly flamboyant displays of magic, it was still to be found in nearly every building, stall, and person. Intermingled amongst everything else, Harry spotted tables of apothecary supplies, cauldrons, ingredients, vials, scales, and the like.

He even walked past broom vendors, but he knew his Firebolt was leagues ahead of those sticks. But on second glance, they could have just been a standard broom stick maker, and not the flying kind. And although literacy was probably at an all time low, Harry still saw several book and scroll traders that he wanted to check out eventually. He decided to make his way up to Gringotts before he got too carried away doing other things. He did have some reservations though - the memory of him escaping the bank on a dragon was still fresh in his mind.

The inside was ornate, much like the future, but there was much more evidence of their bloody past. Weapons of all shape and sizes hung from the wall, some still with blood stains upon them, and there were several paintings of wars, all with the Goblins as victors. Harry addressed the nearest goblin that didn't look overly busy.

"I would like to open an account. Highest security available," Harry asked. There was no point in being polite - that would just make him look like prey to a Goblin.

The goblin scrutinized him for a few moments. Harry slid a Galleon onto the counter in response. The goblin's eyes lit up. "Very well! I will get you the proper documents. The minimum deposit for a high security vault is fifty sickles." Harry nodded and the goblin came back five minutes later with a leather-bound ledger.

There wasn't much to read and fill out. He noticed that he was using a blood quill, but understood the purpose of it in this application. The form was only a means of identification, as the goblins did not care about any extraneous information such as his past.

"Very well... Harry Potter," the goblin said looking at the papers. "These seem to be in order. I will take you to your new vault."

Getting into a very rickety mine cart, which looked like it had seen actual use quite recently, Harry braced for what would be an unpleasant ride. It was not long before the ride started to seem like it went of forever. Nothing was the same as he remembered it from his original time, but he surmised he could be in a different part of the mine. Eventually they arrived at his new vault.

"Vault number seven, Harry Potter, personal vault," announced the goblin. "We will bring a dragon down here to guard it once we leave, unless you require something different?"

"A dragon shall be fine," Harry replied as they entered the vault. If someone broke into his vault, a dragon would be the least of their worries.

"The vault can be expanded as needed," explained the goblin. Naturally there was nothing in it.

Harry reached into his bottomless bag, and pulled out another space-defying bag. He turned it upside down and Galleons started to pour out. The goblin tried to ignore the stream of gold pouring out of the bag, but Harry caught him staring.

"By the graces of Ragnuk…" the goblin whispered to himself. He knew then that Harry was going to be a very good client.

Pulling out his wand, Harry began to stack the coins. "This land has yet to give up all of its treasures," Harry commented, stepping out of the vault after he finished. Sealing the vault, they took the cart back up to the surface. Harry found it funny that the goblin did his best to make the ride more comfortable, if such a thing was possible with that contraption.

While goblin probably went to inform his superiors of what just happened, Harry went back into the alley to continue with his exploring. He enjoyed how quick and simple the process was; money does speak after all. There was minimal drama, which he liked. He did hesitate to leave so much gold there though, and he wondered if it was the right thing to do, but his gut told him it was safe.

Noticing a long wall that looked to have a bunch of simple advertisements, if they could even be described as such, Harry made his way to see what they were. They were very crude and used as little words as possible, instead using drawn pictures and numbers, but they were notices of sorts.

One section of the wall looked completely dedicated to Hogwarts. There were many pictures of the school, everything from exquisite feasts, to the expansive grounds and overhead shots of the castle itself. It appeared to only be in its third year of operating, and was doing whatever it could to get more people interested.

Harry mused with the idea of getting a job there, but it wasn't a job posting. It offered schooling to any willing mage. Still, picturing himself teaching at the school for a thousand years brought a grin to his face. But he did notice something that caught his attention; property sale. Six thousand acres equivalent, owned by Hogwarts but unconnected to the current school ground.

Trying to do the math on the large number, Harry came up with roughly a three mile diameter lot of land, - exactly what he needed. He looked at the sale price: seventeen galleons. Harry was shocked at the price, not for the first time, and not for the last time. His money would carry him far.

Before he could think about it anymore, a voice called for his attention. "Hey, you over there!"

Looking around for the voice, Harry was surprised to see that it was coming from a portrait in the Hogwarts section that he had somehow missed. The portrait was of a young woman, probably older than Harry, but quite beautiful. "Are you talking to me?"

"Yes I am, young sir. I couldn't help but notice that you seemed very interested in that land that is for sale."

"I am," Harry confirmed. "I could do a lot with such a large piece of land, and I do have the money."

"Is that so? If you can give me a few minutes, I can find the owner and you can talk to him personally."

Not expecting to have such luck so early into his journey, Harry was genuinely surprised. "I would appreciate that."

The woman left the portrait, so Harry did what made sense to him and that was to wait for it to come back. A couple of minutes went by, and Harry was expecting another person, a male presumably, to appear in the frame.

Instead, he was surprised to have someone tap him on the shoulder. Turning around, Harry saw a man that was quite muscular, with blond hair and blue eyes, and a sword on his waist. But what caught his attention most was the tabard the man was wearing, and more specifically, the crest. It was one Harry had seen dozens, if not hundreds of times; the Gryffindor House crest.

"I am to understand that you are in interested in my land? The name's Godric Gryffindor by the way," the man said, extending his hand.

"I'll be damned, it's a true pleasure," Harry said, surprise getting the best of him. Returning the friendly handshake, the time-traveler responded "Harry Potter. I'm very much interested in buying the whole property. There's a lot I could do with it."

"If you are serious and got the coin, I would be more than happy to show you the land. The money would go towards Hogwarts and giving the students a better experience."

"I have the money on me in fact," Harry said, patting the pouch on his side, yet still wary of potential thieves.

"Great," Godric said excitedly. "We'll take the Floo - have you used it before? It's a localized form of quick transportation."

"I have used it before," Harry confirmed. Godric nodded and beckoned him toward an inconspicuous looking booth a few dozen feet away. Inside was a purpose built fireplace.

"The property is called Godric's Glen," the man told Harry.

"I understand."

Placing a Knut in the jar next to the Floo powder, Godric pulled out a handful of the sand-like material. The fire blazed up with green flames, and as Godric stepped in, he yelled out "Godric's Glen!"

Paying his one Knut as well, Harry quickly followed after the Founder. The ride wasn't nearly as rough as he remembered from the future, but as his body was whipped through the magical void that is the Floo system, Harry only spotted a handful of connected hearths. Only a few seconds went by in reality before he found the targeted Floo, and was literally ejected out of it like a cannon being shot, his body flying out and into a wall.

Godric's strong arms helped Harry up off the ground, and Harry noticed that the man looked exactly like how he felt, and it wasn't good.

"I don't think that's normal," Harry commented, dusting himself off and checking for damage.

"Definitely not. I'll have to tell Salazar that his new batch of Floo powder is a bit… volatile."

"I'd say so," Harry replied dryly.

"Yes, well," Godric replied with a cough. "I guess a tour is in order. This is the only building on the grounds. There are only a few rooms, but it is ready to live in. I mostly just use it to store all the various tools that one might need to tame the land with. This land has been in my family for generations, but the money would do Hogwarts more good than me. Plus, it's not like anyone is using it. I don't come here all that often, and the rest of my family lives elsewhere."

"I see. Can we look outside?"

"Absolutely. I'll show you all the nooks, niches, crannies and other places of note that I can remember. Of course, the most obvious landmark," Godric continued as they walked outside, "Is the lake."

The lake was beautiful, in Harry's opinion. Nearly a perfect circle, there was small cliff on one side, a beach on another, and a beautiful view of the surrounding forests, of which there was a lot. As Godric led him through the land, Harry was amazed at how much landscape variety it had. Valleys, waterfalls, gullies, and deadfalls, it had it all. He was already in love with it.

Godric spent several hours showing him around, and Harry was ready to own it for himself. They finished the tour at the house from which it started, and Godric had the deed unfurled on an old oak table.

Harry read it over, which didn't take long. The language was quite fancy, and despite feeling like he understood, spoke, and read the language perfectly, he couldn't help realize that he _shouldn't_, because he knew the English of yesteryear was fundamentally different than the modern English he spoke.

Upon seeing a crest he didn't recognize at the bottom of the paper, Harry asked "What does this symbolize?"

"That's the Council's crest," Godric answered upon seeing what Harry was pointing at. "The owner of this document is officially recognized to be the owner of this allotment of land."

Nodding his head in satisfaction, Harry reached into his pouch paid the man the seventeen Galleons.

Authenticating the gold, Godric thanked Harry for his purchase. "I'll visit the Council tomorrow to confirm everything."

Harry, rolling up his copy of the deed, had a few more things he wanted to ask. "I don't suppose you know a good spot to hire good builders and purchase materials?"

Godric thought a few seconds before having an answer. "Well, if it's a large structure that requires a lot of stone, I'd recommend the Goblins. Or, for bigger, I'd suggest finding Dwarven labor. For something the size of this house, Diagon Alley would be a great start, and then the surrounding city for non-magical workers if so desired."

"Excellent, thank you, but I do have one more question," Harry said impetuously. "I don't suppose you are hiring any instructors for Hogwarts?"

That got Godric's attention, and he momentarily forgot about the Floo powder in his hand.

"We weren't planning on it, we being Rowena, Helga and Salazar and myself. But, we do seem to getting more and more students every year, and could probably use the extra hand. I'll talk to them about it, but let me ask, what would you like to teach?

"Survival," responded Harry. He knew he was acting brashly, but he trusted his instincts. It seemed like a good idea. "Even though I don't look like it, I've been in more than my fare share of fights, and I think I'm pretty good with tactics, and I have practical offensive and defense knowledge. I know a fair bit about magical creatures as well."

Giving Harry a scrutinizing look, Godric was thinking about the possibilities. He knew outward appearances didn't mean anything, as he had fought in a war at a younger age than Harry. "Give me two day to talk to my friends. Come to the castle at say, three? I'll make sure we are all there, and do bring a list or at least an idea of what you would like to teach. Spells, creatures, whatever you think important. Just keep in mind that we teach Charms, Transfiguration, Alchemy and Runic Magic already."

"I will, and thank you for even entertaining the idea."

Godric nodded his head, and in a flash of smoke, he was gone. Harry sighed to himself. What did he just get himself into? So much for keeping a low profile.

~~~~~~~[]{}888{}[]~~~~~~~

**_Author's Notes_**_; I apologize for this chapter taking so long to be posted, there's been some problems on my end. The chapter has been finished for months, but it took quite a bit of time to get it back from the beta even though its not that long. Also, I had some computer problems as well. My laptop's motherboard overheated and needs to get repaired so a lot of my most recent notes are lost. That means Obscure Clarity chapter 5 is on hold (it was about halfway done) as well as a lot of my WIP oneshots and ideas. My last backup was in July, but luckily I didn't lose any of this story as it's still in my email, and the most recent copies are intact on my external hard drive. This just means that I'll either work on this story singularly, or maybe I'll post my half complete H/F y4 story._

_As you can see, the changes to this story are not going to be that major. The plot is going to mostly remain the same, I'm just smoothing things out, improving grammar, increasing world building, and making things more consistent. Of course, some 'cliches' remain, but that can't always be avoided. And as long as they are put to good use, there's not really much to complain about especially since this world is pretty much entirely original. Either way, this chapter is better than it's previous incarnation, and that's the whole point of the rewrite. Some chapters will be almost completely unchanged, aside from name swapping such as in the Dwarven scenes, but others will have huge editing such as the teaching chapters (Founder's teaching parts) and the huge African shaman arc. That is going to be split up and made into a more (hopefully) enjoyable format that also increases Harry and Rowena's relationship at the same time. I got big plans for it, but as it's still a bit of time away, I won't give much away, but it should be good._

_Preliminary betawork was done by OnTheImportanceOfLungs and Joe6991. But as always, no one is perfect. I've probably gone over this chapter ten times myself, but if you see any major errors, please let me know as I am always looking to improve my writing abilities._


	3. The Founders

**The Founders**

~~~~~~~[]{}888{}[]~~~~~~~

Standing on a rocky promontory overlooking his new lake, Harry took some time to contemplate the mess he had gotten himself into, and to figure out priorities. He was told, and for good reason, to lay low and remain as inconspicuous as possible in his new life. Yet, somehow, he had met Godric Gryffindor himself, scheduled a meeting with the Hogwarts Founders' about teaching at the school, _and _had become a property owner, which was not something to be taken lightly. He had done that all before his first night in the year 996.

He was undecided on the type of shelter he wanted, but the existing building was adequate for now. He would spend some thought on it later, and he knew anything he could think of could be built, for a price. Such was the way of Goblins, and hopefully, Dwarves as well. He'd never seen Dwarf aside from the one instance in second year, and he knew nothing about them. He imagined their mindsets were fairly similar though, since everything Harry knew about Dwarves suggested they just spent all their time underground mining for riches.

However, there were some things more valuable than material goods, and that is the flow of information. He didn't want to get involved with Goblins at all, especially with the whole dragon stealing thing still a sore spot in his mind. He still didn't really like their whole idea of "ownership" and "renting" either. But they did have something valuable to him – the location of Dwarves, or so he hoped. After that, he wished to have as little to do with the green creatures as possible.

On the same tangent, Harry realized that he didn't really need to work for money either, but the knowledge he could gain from having a position at Hogwarts was quite valuable. The type of knowledge to be had there was far more than just spells as well. The trick was trying to get that information without being seen as an idiot, which would be easier said than done. He didn't really have much knowledge beyond that of a sixth year, other than what he had gained out of necessity.

Harry did not have much else to do other than wait for the next couple of days. Because he did not want to preoccupy all of his time with just his thoughts, Harry made his way back to Diagon Alley. He found himself fascinated by the whole culture of Medieval Magical Britain in general. Mostly though, he was trying to learn how to fit in with the times without raising suspicion, in addition to keeping his ears open for anything about current events and gossip.

Eventually, Harry had made it through a few nights without doing anything stupid or brash. Apparition became the most useful spell Harry knew, and it was quite handy in traversing the distance between his new property and Hogwarts. He _did_ have to be careful with it though. Even with just a few trips to Diagon Alley under his belt, he knew it wasn't a well known or well used method of transportation and he didn't want to draw attention to himself.

Surprisingly, there were no protections set up around the castle and he was able to apparate right onto the grounds. In fact, the school looked completely new. Most castles of the era were still being built out of wood, as stonework on this scale was not yet feasible to the majority of the world. Majestic towers climbed into the heavens, more artistic than functional, and vast, gravity defying, covered arches spanned from far corner to far corner, creating an intricate lattice of stonework. Ornate ambulatories circled every cloister, visible through the arches, with handcrafted motifs carved into every inch of stone with great facades decorating many of the walls. Every brick and every brick shone like alabaster in the sunlight, a stark contrast to the ancient, worn grey that Harry remembered so fondly. All of the memories of the various nooks and crannies and secret passages brought a smile back to Harry's face. It had been over a year since he spent any significant amount of time in the castle, and it was good to be back and see it unscarred by Voldemort's reign of terror.

"Greetings, stranger!" a voice call out from behind Harry as he walked up the gentle slope to the main doors.

Harry turned around to see Godric Gryffindor coming up behind him, levitating a massive, carved hardwood table along with several long benches. It was a very impressive display of magic, one that Harry knew he probably couldn't match.

"Good day to you, Godric," Harry greeted. He took a minute to observe the surrounding lands as Godric Gryffindor closed the last few feet between them. The Forbidden Forest was far vaster than he remembered, and the lake was completely tranquil. Of course, there was no Quidditch pitch yet, but that would not stop him from enjoying the sky on his broom when possible.

"Come in, come in," Godric urged as he swept his wand and opened the great doors without letting the levitation spell drop.

Harry was just as awed of the Great Hall as he was the first time he'd been there. There was only one table until Godric set the second one down next to it, along with the benches. They looked hand carved by a master carpenter. Perhaps Godric had done it himself. They fit in perfectly with the warm atmosphere the massive hall somehow managed to convey.

The time-traveler's eyes were first drawn up to the ceiling, just as they were the first time he ever set foot inside Hogwarts. It was already enchanted, confirming the popular belief that it was Rowena Ravenclaw herself that had done it. An enchantment that would last for over a thousand years without any fade was very impressive by anyone's standards.

And now he'd be meeting her shortly. It was hard to get his head around that.

Godric, putting his wand away, led Harry down to the end of the long table where three people were sitting. Harry was impressed with the tapestries that lined every wall, each with crest of a Founder and colored appropriately, but the animal mascots were absent. Large iron braziers lined the floor, casting an earthly flame towards the roof. Interspersed between them, torches stood ablaze in their respective sconces, making the whole place feel alive.

As they neared the group, Harry fell one step behind Godric, a bit shy. He was in the presence of the most famous, revolutionary, and influential group of witches and wizards to ever live, and what was he compared to such legends?

Still, they were relatively early into their careers, struggling to make Hogwarts successful and self-sustaining. Harry was expecting to find some grizzled old men and some leather-faced women, but no, these people weren't that much older than him.

"Friends, this is the Harry Potter I told you about. He is interested in teaching here, but first, introductions are in order."

A shrewd looking man, dressed in similar livery to Godric, stepped forward first. He had a sword sheathed on one side of his waist with his wand on the other. He was decked out in a green tabard with his infamous family crest, and a cape was fastened to his shoulder by a snake-motifed clasp. "I am called Salazar Slytherin, Hogwarts' Master Enchanter."

Harry shook the lean man's hand with a sturdy grip. "Harry Potter," he introduced himself. Salazar couldn't have been older than thirty, with plain brown hair and eyes, but there was _whiff_ of power and experience about him. Harry could tell that he had seen things in his lifetime. He had the same look that Godric did - the look of a warrior. Harry had seen that same look several times in his life, in Kingsley Shacklebolt, Sirius, and even Neville Longbottom. Salazar also looked slightly bored about the whole affair, or perhaps indifferent. Of course, he could have had other things on his mind and was just preoccupied, something Harry could empathize with, but he got the distinct impression that Salazar thought he was beneath him. Unfortunately, he wasn't exactly wrong.

Harry gave a short bow to the two ladies by way of introduction. Helga Hufflepluff wasn't much to look at. She was of a stocky build and had strong, working hands to go with her jaw. She reminded Harry a bit of a combination of Professor Sprout and Molly Weasley. She wore a congenial smile, and Harry got the impression that she really enjoyed being at Hogwarts and teaching kids, no matter the cost. Her blond hair contrasted quite badly with her black robes, and with the yellow accents on them, she looked a bit like a bumble bee. Harry could imagine her bumbling about, fussing with every little thing.

Rowena Ravenclaw, though, Harry recognized from the portrait in Diagon Alley overseeing the Hogwarts advertisements. She was quite attractive, even by modern standards. She wore flowing sky blue robes that matched her eyes, and her hair was nearly as dark as Harry's own. An intricate silver necklace adorned her neck, just barely visible above her robe, and her wand was stored in a wrist sheath, partially obscured by her sleeve.

She looked a bit younger than the other's as well, perhaps twenty-five. She did not have the look of the others - maybe she had not faced the horrors of war that they had. That in of itself intrigued Harry.

"Onto business, shall we?" Godric asked. "Let us sit as friends."

Harry sat down next to Godric with Salazar on the other side of him, while the two women took the opposite side of the table. Harry was quite anxious for the position, but he was unsure if they would hire him. It seemed as if Godric had a plan though.

"When we first started Hogwarts, our goal was to bequeath our knowledge onto those less fortunate than us and those unable to receive any magical training of their own, be it through family or as an apprentice. Within these walls, everyone is free to practice magic without fear of persecution. We will accept anyone, regardless of race, gender, blood purity, or talent. Our first year of operation we had eight students, just eight. Last year we had nineteen in total, and this year, we are going to nearly double that with sixteen new students."

Godric was directing his information at Harry, but at the same time, he was telling the other Founders exactly where he was going with his talk.

"If that trend continues, we could have hundreds of students here, more than the four of us can handle. I think we would be better off adding another instructor to our ranks now, rather than waiting until the burden becomes too heavy. We should solve the problem before it happens."

"So it is just the four of you operating this huge castle then?" Harry asked. "Surely, maintaining the castle plus watching out for all the students cannot be easy by yourselves."

"We are the only instructors here, but we have others under our employ," Salazar spoke up. "We are much too busy to cook for nineteen, soon to be thirty-five, so we have three cooks from Hogsmede make three meals a day, every day –"

"And I'm not sure three is enough for that either," Godric interjected.

"We will see. In addition, we have a groundskeeper who maintains the outside of the castle and keeps the beasts of the forest at bay, and a caretaker who maintains the inside of the castle."

"Out of curiosity, how many students do you think this castle can hold? Harry asked. "It seems quite large for the amount of students you have now. It looks like you have planned for housing the entire country, not just a few students."

"Fair point," Hufflepuff said. "We could house a thousand and still not feel cramped, perhaps even two thousand, and that's without the use of magic. The logistics of feeding and teaching that many students is a bit beyond our imagination, I'm afraid. I doubt there are even a thousand magic users in the country."

"Surely there has to be more than that," Harry said skeptically. "Otherwise we would die out."

"All we have are estimates and good guesses," Salazar said. "We know approximately how many potential students there are, but we cannot know for certain. I have been thinking of a spell to track such things, as it could be beneficial to Hogwarts, but I have not made much headway as of yet."

"I'm not sure it is possible, Salazar," Rowena Ravenclaw said with a small measure of doubt. "A spell that can track the birth of every single witch and wizard seems beyond the means of any normal magic. Useful it would be, though, to know every potential student."

"Back to the manner at hand. What would you be teaching?" Hufflepuff asked. "I teach Alchemy and Potions, Rowena teaches Runes and Magical Theory, Godric teaches Transfiguration and Conjuration, and Salazar teaches Charms and Enchanting. I cannot think of too many things that are not specializations."

"Combat Magic," Harry said quickly. "Defensive and offensive spells and how to identify them, as well as counter them. Also, protecting yourself against some dangerous, yet common, magical creatures. There will be an emphasis on how to defend yourself against Dark Magic, as that is the most dangerous and hardest magic to fight against without proper knowledge."

"An interesting proposal," Salazar admitted. "But I am curious as to your qualifications, if you don't mind me asking. Appearances _can_ be deceiving, but you do not look yet twenty. It's one thing to _know_ how to survive, but to actually do it is wholly different in practice. Why should you teach this subject when I'm sure Godric or myself could do it?"

Harry predicted as much. He was barely eighteen after all, and even then, his time travelling skipped over his actual birthday. "I was hunted by a Dark Lord for the last seven years of my life. Every single bone in his body was evil. He killed my parents when I was younger, but he could never kill me. Five times I stumped him, five times I evaded death by his wand, and the sixth time it was I who came on top, erasing him from this plane of existence."

The time-traveler wasn't strictly telling the truth, but the truth was not something he could divulge on a whim. The exact details of his past had to remain murky and unclear. But, even if they wanted to dig around for information, the only source of that was himself.

"I have also defeated a number of magical creatures. My greatest accomplishment in that regards is my defeat of a basilisk at the age of twelve."

"A basilisk?" Salazar repeated.

"I admit, it was mostly luck, and if it was not for the help of a phoenix destroying its eyes, and its restorative tears bringing me back from the brink of death, I would have died. It was this sword here," Harry said, patting his hip, "That slew it."

"Twelve years old, that is a most impressive tale," Salazar said. "I don't know if I believe you. Such a feat would trouble the most experienced of wizards, even with preparations."

"I have fought trolls and acromantulas, survived a dragon attack and vicious grindylows, blast-ended skrewts, hippogriffs…" Harry started ticking off creatures on his fingers. He didn't like to brag, but he desperately wanted the job. "A sphinx, cerberus, werewolf and a horde of soul-sucking demons of the night. Those are just what I've actually faced, I know about a lot of others as well, and that's not the mention the many followers of the aforementioned Dark Lord."

"I don't even recognize half of those creatures," Helga Hufflepuff admitted. "They sound very dangerous though, and I hope you don't bring them near the students without the proper precautions."

"That is all good and interesting," Salazar said with slight boredom in his voice. "You've got experience with the magic and the creatures, but do you have experience in passing your knowledge on? Some of the students may even be older than you."

"I have taught this subject before," Harry said. "To a group of my friends, and when faced with combat, they performed admirably."

"That's interesting," Godric said. "Why don't we show you around the castle while we talk some more?"

"That sounds excellent," Harry lied. He was going to have to put on a good act to convince them that he didn't already know his way around. He should have expect it.

"Good," Godric said as he led them over to a side door. "We'll show you where the kitchens are first. Without food, we are nothing, so it may just be the most important place inside the entire castle."

Harry followed Godric down the set of steps. Half way down, he thought he heard an odd shuffle of a cloak so he turned around to look, but Salazar, Rowena, and Helga just looked at him oddly. When he turned back around though, that is when the spell came.

"_Protego!_" Harry snapped off quickly, sending the Stunning Charm up to the ceiling. Harry was about to retaliate at Godric when he saw the man lower his wand. "What was that about?" Harry asked with narrowed eyes.

"Just testing you," Godric said with a shrug. He turned back around and continued to walk down the stairs as if nothing happened.

Harry sighed, realizing the next few hours were going to be quite long. No sooner did he think that, he heard a muttered incantation from behind him. He barely was able to make out the word '_glacius'_, but his wand was already in motioning, cancelling whatever charm it was with a silent _finite incantatem._

He hesitated a few seconds to make sure he countered it before turning around to look at the three Founders behind him. They all wore innocent expressions on their faces, but Helga was struggling to hide her amusement. He turned back around quickly so Godric wouldn't try something, and they arrived at the kitchen.

The portrait of the ticklish pear was not there; instead it was merely a simple door. Inside a single man was organizing the place for the upcoming year. Harry wasn't impressed by the tenth century cooking technology. Brief introductions were given and Godric was leading him once more around the castle.

Five minutes passed without anything happening, and Harry was getting a bit jumpy. The halls were decorated fairly plainly. There wasn't even a fraction of the moving portraits there were in the future, instead there were tapestries and landscape portraits. Every so often there would be a pair of looming stone statues, and it was as they passed these that Harry felt the magic in the air shift.

Raising its colossal stone mace into the air, the stone statue set its focus on Harry, but he was quick to notice. He only had a few seconds to react before he was history, and the first spell he thought of was a blasting hex. The silent spell collided with the mace but also took out a large portion of the torso as well, sending dust and small bits of stone raining down onto them.

"Sorry about that," Harry apologized. With a wave of his wand, the shattered pieces began to reform, and within fifteen seconds, the statue had repaired itself back to its normal, unbroken state. "There, all fixed."

Harry saw a brief impressed look cross Helga's face, but it left as quickly as it appeared. He wished he could have done something a bit more remarkable like animate the second statue to fight it, but he wasn't that good, especially on short notice. Not even with Elder Wand.

They showed him the various classrooms, several dozen of them in total, along with Harry knew was the Ravenclaw Tower. All the students would live in that one tower, but that wasn't even half of what would be living there in the future.

Nearly an hour had passed without an indication of an attack. He had nearly fallen into compliancy when he heard the subtle swish of a wand from behind.

Harry had no time to counter it with a spell or dodge. Instead, the magic collided with the tip of his wand, faltered for a second, and was flicked off to the side with a subtle roll of his wrist.

"That Hurling Hex could have been quite nasty," Harry said to Salazar while motioning to the steps he had just reach the top of.

"I had the utmost confidence in your ability to block it," Salazar drawled mockingly.

Harry turned back around, not expecting another spell that instant, but he was wrong. He felt the effects of the Tripping Jinx surge into him, but he didn't dare move. With a significant look back at Salazar, he undid the spell and followed Godric down the stairs.

They had only covered about a quarter of the school, and Harry knew it was going to be a very long day indeed.

* * *

The 'tour' had lasted for several hours, a hours which consisted of Harry proving himself by defending against all the random spells the Founders would casually cast at him. It was a few hours after he had left that Harry found himself back in Hogsmeade for a home cooked meal. It was not a matter of choice really; it was a matter of necessity. Harry's new house had a kitchen, if one could call a couple of pans and pots along with a piece of metal over a fire a kitchen. He had no provisions either, so even if he wanted to cook at home, he couldn't. He didn't really consider it home though; he'd only really been there to sleep so far and not much else. He'd be spending all his time at Hogwarts now, as a professor. The Founders had been satisfied with his life really had taken a strange turn.

He'd gone to Hogsmeade because it was a different locale than Diagon Alley. Different people meant different news and views to learn about. And there was the food. The chosen eatery was where the future Hogshead would be standing, and it already had a sign with a silhouette of a hog on it.

Perhaps he should have not been shocked when Rowena Ravenclaw walked into the place a few minutes after he did. She _did _live in Hogwarts after all, and Hogsmeade was but a few minutes' walk. Rowena spotted Harry quickly, so he waved her over. A familiar face would be nice, even if they had only just met.

"Good evening to you, Harry Potter," The witch greeted. "Mind if I sit here?"

Harry gestured to the seat across from him. "I have only just arrived myself and have not yet eaten. Do you come here often?"

"Every night, or thereabouts," Ravenclaw responded. "It's convenient and the food is good. With Hogwarts starting back up, I won't be able to come here as often. What about you? I've never seen you in here before."

"It's my first time here," Harry explained. "I wanted to see some new people. I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon."

"And the same could be said about you. I usually come here hoping to see someone new and intriguing to change the monotony, travelers and the like, but those occasions are very rare. But here you are, many miles away from Godric's old property, too far to travel by broom, and even farther on horse. You don't smell like Floo powder either, and I saw you leave the front of Hogwarts, so I am curious as to how you got here."

Harry blinked a few times, caught off guard and startled at her logic. "You are very perceptive, Rowena. I did, in fact, go back to my house before coming here. I haven't had time to stock up my larder, so I came here for a meal."

"Hmm. Yes, and I did say I come here looking to meet interesting new people, and I think someone who knows how to _Apparate_ is very interesting indeed. A rare and difficult piece of magic that is. I don't know of anyone under the age of eighty who is capable of it."

Harry hid his surprise well. Or at least, he wanted to believe that he did. "It takes a disciplined mind to learn to Apparate, and knowing the proper technique helps a lot as well. I can show you it if you want. Supposedly it's easier to learn if you know what the magic actually feels like."

"I would like that, but perhaps we should wait until after we eat?" Rowena suggested.

"It may be better if you do not eat. The experience can be very unsettling. You may find the meal you ate coming back up for seconds."

Rowena frowned. "On a second thought, I'm not hungry anymore. Show me."

Harry laughed a bit. "You know, I have heard about you before I came here. I see the rumors are true."

She may have blushed under Harry's praise, but he didn't notice. In Harry's time, common legend about Rowena was that she was the most creative, beautiful, and intelligent witch of the era. Harry was going to be surprised to learn that she was also the most humble.

They made to leave the Hogshead without so much as ordering a drink, but before they got to the exit, a new group of people entered. It was a bunch of young men, possibly even younger than Harry. They were dressed in robes, a good indicator that they were wizards.

"Oh, Instructor Ravenclaw, good to see you," the man in the front said. "And I see you've finally found a man to sweep you off your feet."

"Evening, Bernham. It's hardly what you think. He's a new instructor at Hogwarts this year."

"Is that so?" Bernham asked, turning towards the wizard. "Eldwin Bernham, at your service."

"Harry Potter," he said, returning the greeting.

"Bernham is a student at Hogwarts," Rowena explained. "One of the first eight."

"It's been a life changing experience, and one I've enjoyed very much," Bernham said.

"That's good to hear," Rowena said. "We were leaving though, so if you don't mind? "

"Oh, right, sorry. There must be some new piece of magic you've heard about if it's getting you away from a meal," Bernham said with a laugh while letting the two teachers pass.

"I guess he knows you fairly well," Harry commented once they were out of hearing distance. "He was spot on with that comment."

Rowena shrugged. "He's a decent fellow. I wouldn't call him gifted or anything, but he has determination and is a hard worker. We do get to know all the students fairly well, especially when the class sizes were quite small. I'm sure you'll get to know him and many others during your time here."

Harry nodded his head. Even with several hundred students in the castle in his time, it was still a pretty personal experience. Still, it hurts that much more when someone you thought you knew suddenly has some huge secrets. Harry had been blindsided by Dumbledore's past, but that was water under the bridge now as far as he was concerned.

"We have to leave to the edge of the town. Apparition can be quite loud, especially when bringing a second person along." Harry was a bit familiar with the general layout of Hogsmeade. Even a thousand years in the past, the place still had a sense of familiarity. There was a lot more farmland than he remembered, a lot more, and there was no joke shop, quill shop, tea shop, or any of the specialty stores from the future, but he was convinced the place was still wholly magical. He decided to just ask Rowena.

"I've heard rumors that this is an all magical town, is that true?"

"It is. That is one of the reasons why we chose to construct Hogwarts on its land. The farms here can support a large population, and we can come down here on occasions to do trade with the kind folk here. It's a good situation for both, and it is quite far away from any large population of the normal people."

"Is there no protective magic here to hide their presence?" Harry asked.

"There is, but nothing is perfect. Magic has a mind of its own, sometimes, but we've always done our best to hide our presence. If Hogsmeade is ever uncovered for what it truly is, I suspect the mundane folk would be here within hours with torches and pitchforks."

"And they'd probably get themselves killed."

"Why do you say that?" Rowena asked.

"We got spells to protect us from fire, and we could disarm a man from a hundred feet away. And we could repair and damage done within hours with magic."

"_We_ could," Rowena agreed. "But not everyone here is as knowledgeable or as skilled as us. Magical these people might be, but half of them probably don't know more than five spells, if they know how to use a wand at all. The flame freezing charm may be a very simple spell, but even that is beyond many of the people here. The children would be completely defenseless as well, because they are too young to have proper control of their magic. This is why Hogwarts must be a success. It is for the continuation of our very existence."

Harry nodded his head grimly. "I agree. I will do everything in my power to help."

The time-traveler had a new perspective on things. The blacksmith may be magical, but he was not much of a wizard. He might use magic to heat the furnace or to cool a blade, but he pounded raw steal by hand. The story was the same for many of the people. They would do little cantrips here and there, create a potion or two and own a few enchanted items, but by and large, there wasn't much difference in their daily lives than the Muggles. Hopefully, that would all change with Hogwarts, where arcane knowledge would enter the hands of the general magical population.

"This should be far enough away. Here, grab my arm and hold on tight," Harry instructed.

Rowena grabbed onto him very tightly with no questions asked. "I'm ready."

"You might want to close your eyes. The first time I Apparated was one of the worst feelings in my life. It will feel like you are being squeezed very tightly and it will be most unpleasant. But, that sensation is one of the defining characteristics of Apparition, so I suggest memorizing the feeling. It will help you learn."

Truth be told, Harry wasn't that great at apparating himself, let alone having a second person side along. He never did pass his test. He was doing more important things at the time, such as surviving.

He focused on his destination, picturing the circular lake of Godric's Glen clearly in his mind. Calling forth his magic, he carefully and deliberately Apparated themselves many leagues away. He didn't rush the event, as he did not want to splinch himself or the witch, and he tried to control their landing, but to little success. Trying to land softly was akin to holding back a waterfall using a colander.

The squeezing sensation was the most severe he had ever felt, and upon arriving at the Glen, they were both literally spat out of the air and onto the ground.

"Ooof, Sorry about that," Harry apologized. "I'm not exactly an expert…"

"That was... interesting," Rowena commented dryly as she rolled over on the ground. Harry pulled himself off the ground and offered her a hand up. As Rowena took the offered hand, Harry noticed a glint of silver around her neck - her necklace had come loose.

"That's a pretty necklace," Harry said as she got to her feet. "Looks old."

"It was my mothers," she said simply. "It's all I have to remember her by."

"Oh, sorry," Harry said quickly. He wished he had an item of his mothers like that, but he barely even had any memories.

"Do you see my wand anywhere?" Rowena asked, clearly not wanting to talk about the past with a semi-stranger. "I lost it when we fell, I think."

"_Accio wand_!" Harry called out quickly. He waited a few seconds, but nothing happened. So instead, they spent the next few minutes searching for it by hand. They had literally exploded out of the air during the Apparition, so it could have gone thirty feet in any direction. With just the light from Harry's wand and from the moon shining down and reflecting across the lake, it was quite hard to find it.

When he did though, he nearly mistook it for a branch until he got a closer look. Picking the wand up carefully, he inspected all the finely crafted details of it from the tip to the handle. The craftsmanship was much different than his old wand, and he was quite happy to see an actual product of the era. It actually felt good in his hands, almost like his old wand in fact, but it was nothing like his Elder Wand. "Over here, I found it," he said, getting Ravenclaw's attention.

Rushing quickly over to where he was, Rowena snatched the wand out of his hands and inspected it for damage.

"What's it made of, if I may ask?" Harry inquired after Rowena seemed satisfied that it was undamaged.

"Beech and a tail hair from a sphinx, crafted by a famed member of the Ollivander family. An unusual combination," Rowena commented matter-of-factly. "As sphinxes rarely give their hair away freely. Ollivander said he acquired it by solving a particularly tricky riddle from a sphinx. Whether or not that is true, I don't know, but it has served me well. What about yours?"

Harry passed his wand over for her to look it. Rowena was really quite an inquisitive witch, more so than anyone else he had ever met. He kind of admired her for that. She was determined to learn whatever there was to learn about magic, so she could pass her knowledge onto others. It didn't even matter what the subject matter was either, but one could be damned sure that Rowena wanted to know all about it.

"It is made from the wood of an Elder tree and has a core of thestral hair. I don't have any tales like yours to go with it though, I'm sad to say." He wasn't completely certain that's what his wand was, but he thought remembered hearing that combination somewhere, perhaps in the common legend.

Rowena looked at the wand with excitement in her eyes. "This… is beautiful craftsmanship. I've never seen anything like this. Surely this isn't an Ollivander piece? I don't recognize this maker's mark - a triangle outside a circle with a line going through it…"

"It's from my homeland," Harry said. He knew the wand would only change allegiances if it were conquered from him, so he felt safe allowing her to look at it. It was a fairly large drawback with the wand, but such is the price of power.

"You're not from around here?" Rowena asked with genuine surprise. "You speak like one of us very well."

"My parents were from here originally, so I learned their tongue. I came here to start anew. There has been too much bloodshed in my past."

Rowena handed him back his wand, and Harry didn't feel that bad about stretching the truth. It was like telling a Muggle about magic, even if you did, they would never believe you. Harry thought it best just to craft himself a simple, yet plausible, back story, one that could never be verified.

They stood on the shore of the lake for several minutes, just watching the stars and the moon casting down their light upon them. There was nothing to dim the brilliance of the night sky. Harry had never really appreciated the beauty in the stars, but in the middle of his property with nothing to ruin the view, it was magnificent. He knew it would not last though, but he had many years to enjoy it before the whims of industrialization would rampage across the country side.

He was getting hungry though, as he hadn't ate since before he went to Hogwarts, and Rowena was a thin little thing herself. "I think it's time to get back. I don't want your friends to worry about you, plus I am starving."

Harry held out his hand and as soon as Rowena grabbed it, he Apparated them back to Hogsmeade in a much more dignified, controlled manner. The second time was always easier.

"You're going to have to teach me that eventually," Rowena said upon realizing they were still standing.

"I had a good teacher, and many weeks of practice," Harry explained. "I suppose it is all in the technique though. I won't profess to be an expert at it, as I've barely known how to do it for a year, and taking someone else with you is ten times as hard. Perhaps when I have mastered it myself, I will help you, and some skilled students. It is not recommended for people under the age of seventeen as it could be very dangerous. As a general rule, if a person cannot perform silent magic, then they are not ready."

"Seventeen is the general age of maturity," Rowena agreed. "Magic can be uncontrollable at the best of times and unstable at the worst. I will trust your judgment, as it is your knowledge."

They rejoined the ranks of the Hogshead patrons a few minutes later, quite a lot hungrier than they were an hour ago. The meal Harry ate that night was the best he had in weeks.

* * *

Harry was quite anxious, sitting in the Great Hall waiting for the students to arrive. The casual dinner a few nights past with Rowena had been quite informative, as she loved to talk about Hogwarts. He had learned that one of the reasons why Hogwarts would work was because of the advent of Floo travel and brooms. They can turn a multi-day journey into just a few hours.

Of course, there still wasn't that many Floo hubs available, no more than a dozen or so. Sometimes, the journey could still be quite long with students having to make a trip to first get to the Floo hub, and then the Floo travel itself.

Godric and Salazar were actually out there right now, and had been since the early hours of the morning, collecting students who had no access to either, and especially new students who had never travelled by such methods before. Harry could only imagine having Godric Gryffindor retrieving him from the Dursley's instead of Hagrid.

Harry also knew that using Portkeys was just inviting trouble, and so did the Founders. It would do no good to leave a bunch of them around the wilderness, begging to be picked up by Muggles. They were also more unpleasant and more liable to go wrong than the Floo. Harry thought they were even more disorienting as Disapparition. If how Rowena reacted to it the first time was any indication, then young students would be strewn across the countryside passed out or vomiting.

The system just wasn't mature enough to handle such things yet. Even while Harry nervously tapped his foot and fretted about, he was quite ready for everything to start. Some normality to his life with a routine would do him good and help him getting over the shock of his whole ordeal.

Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff whispered to each other in low tones as the first student arrived, a boy of no more than twelve. Shortly after that were two girls who were even younger, and they just kept coming in at steady intervals.

About an hour later after the first student arrived, Bernham arrived with his group of friends and gave both Harry and the two Founders a wave before taking a seat at the table. There was much chattering going on, and it reminded Harry of his very first time in the Great Hall. He felt very out of place.

Eventually Godric and Salazar both arrived with a half dozen students each. Upon seeing the motley group, around forty in total, Harry was again regretting getting himself into the mess. Even with all the planning he had done in his mind and all the lesson plans for classes, he was feeling very out of his league.

On the other hand, Hermione would be so jealous of his position right now, and that brought a smile to his face. He could handle this. For once, his life wasn't at stake.

* * *

_**Author's note: ** This chapter has been a long time in the making. It's gone through probably a half-dozen rewrites. I'm still not satisfied with it, but perfections is just so boring. Regardless, this chapter is better than the previous incarnation. I could have just mashed my keyboard repeatedly and come up with something better than that. Anyways, if you do see any errors, please feel free to point them out._

_I'd like to thank OnTheImportanceOfLungs for betaing the on short notice, as it has been quite a long time since the last chapter. Also, he served as a good spring board for ideas. No amount of words in this chapter would excuse the delay, but I just wanted to show that this story rewrite is still in progress and not abandoned._

_If you haven't seen it yet, I update my profile pretty regularly with updates, perhaps once a week, maybe more, maybe less. Also. I have a Firefly crossover posted that most people have liked quite a lot, and a Slytherin!Harry story as well, with a new chapter coming out for that soon. I'd check them out._


	4. Professor Harry Potter

It felt weird for Harry to be sitting with the other professors in the Great Hall. He wouldn't say he was their equal, or anywhere close, but just being their colleague would take some getting used to. If bets had been placed on which person in Harry's group of friends would become a professor, Hermione would be the obvious choice, but often, life takes you on a path you would have never expected.

Such was the case for pretty much the entirety of Harry's life.

Sitting next to Rowena at their table in the great hall, Harry watched as the students lined up in front of them . The students were going to be introduced, and it was easy to tell that some of them were probably just as nervous as he was, both when he was sorted and currently. It was a momentous occasion, one that would define time and history.

The hall was nicely decorated, but in no particular fashion other than to give a warm, friendly welcome. The already-enchanted ceiling was showing clear skies still and banners hung from the wall showing four animals representing the founders. Parts of the hall seemed quite empty without several hundred students and extra tables, but large iron braziers spaced every ten feet, lit with glowing flames, did a good job at manipulating the visual space. The flames made the environment seem more intimate and personal, and Harry liked that. It made it feel like something special was about to happen, and that was the truth.

Once all the new students were gathered, Helga Hufflepuff stood up and began to read off a scroll. "I welcome you all to the fourth year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardly. I wish you all much success in your endeavors, and before we tuck in to this lovely feast, I shall call out each of your names, and you shall introduce yourselves. We are a family here, and I want you to all feel at home."

Reading several dozen names off her list, the short-in-stature Helga Hufflepuff spoke with authority, and everyone listened aptly. The only surname Harry recognized from the list was Moon, and that was just a vague recollection. This person, however, was very noticeable. She had green hair. Not a bright green either, but a naturalistic green, in many different hues. Harry could almost imagine leaves and twigs and birds in her hair - that's the impression he got. It turned out his instincts were not far off - the young lady, known as Silvia Moon, was an apprentice druid and was at Hogwarts to learn about traditional magics.

The introductions were all quite awkward, given the circumstances. Some of them were skeptical, some of them were nervous, some of them were excited, and none of them knew how to act in front of their peers and elders. Harry knew that would change in time. They were going to be exposed to a whole new side of their world that had never been offered before, and it was going to be the turning point in all of their lives.

Harry was introduced last. To the returning students, he was a new face, but to all the new students, everyone was a new face. Harry wasn't the only new hire either. One of the cooks would be teaching a weekly class as well, which could be interesting. As far as Harry knew, House Elves didn't even exist yet. It would be interesting to see if history would repeat itself in that case, and when it would happen.

Dinner was a boisterous affair, as everyone was eager to try and fit in, and the food was good. Harry would describe it as typical fare for the era, although he didn't give much thought to it. Whether it was his bad childhood or not, he's never really been picky with his food, and he was just grateful for it in the first place.

Sometime during the meal, Helga Hufflepuff stood up and gave some announcements, rules, the code of conduct, and all that official stuff Harry never paid much attention to when he was a student. He didn't manage much better as a professor, and before he realized it, they were dismissed and he was inside his new room. He had a lot on his mind, and barely noticed the walk.

Looking around his new quarters, he was less than impressed. There was nothing but a bed which consisted of some wood with some furs thrown over it, a chair, table, and a wardrobe. None-the-less, with a few swishes of his wand – the Elder Wand – and he had the room decorated with warm reds and bronzes, and his furniture was a bit more serviceable.

His room would only improve in time, as he would keep adding personal touches when he thought of them. He'd get a rack to store his sword and any other weapons he would acquire, perhaps a shelf for era books and scroll, if possible, and some other artifacts he'd collect with time. At least, that was his plan. He'd have to keep everything that would seem out of place in that time hidden away, and he had to be doubly certain at keeping any future knowledge secret, or at least have suitable explanations on hand if necessary. If the worst happened, there was always a memory charm.

His night was sleepless, as they so often were. He found his way into the dungeons, where he knew the potions lab to be in his time, and Helga was more than a bit surprised to see him there brewing some energy in a bottle before the sun had even risen.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.

"I couldn't sleep," Harry responded. "So I came down here to brew something to help for the day, but I am unsure if we have all the materials."

"Well, since you're here, why don't you set up the other cauldrons for me? Oh, and while you're at it, grab some basalt from our stores. That limestone you're using is terribly inefficient."

The school's supply of ingredients was quite vast, and Harry was quite sure that most of them were probably harvest around the Forbidden Forest. Perhaps he'd spend some time doing that one day, as it could be a good lesson to learn. The store room was a sturdy thing with a large metal, unforcable lock, and Harry did have enough common sense to not use magic near it, for fear of spoiling the ingredients. It was the same reason you couldn't use magic when making a wand, for fear of leaving an imprint of magic.

Or perhaps it was something that was selectively controllable and exploitable, but Harry hardly had the skill to experiment with magics or potions. He didn't nearly have the innovation that Snape had. But, he could learn a second course of potioneering from Helga Hufflepuff, and perhaps having a second view on the subject would help him finally make the leap in potions he never had without the help of the Halfblood Prince's book.

Harry looked down at his assembled ingredients, the Flywings and Dusselberries already simmering in his small cauldron. He had basalt, some generic fire salts, a few grams of Essence of Belladona, and a second round of Flywings, all in various states of preparation. With some effort, he could have a small batch of potions done in no time

That's how Harry spent the morning before breakfast and his first class. Helga was terribly controlling about potion making, the exact opposite of Snape, really. Snape would let you blow half the classroom up to teach you a lesson. Helga actually taught that lesson to begin with. Harry couldn't deny that both the methods both had their merits.

Short that lesson might have been, Harry was satisfied with his potion, and the fact he'd have enough energy to last the day after a sleepless night. He though Helga might have been impressed too, because the art of potionmaking is a very delicate and often overlooked field of magic - beyond the basics at least.

Harry had arrived early to his first class, as was probably smart since he was the teacher. He didn't eat much during breakfast, because he was too nervous (and jittery from the potion), and all attempts of the other founders to make small talk with him fell short.

His classroom was one of many that were built that did not yet have a use. A large part of the castle was built with the future in mind, and was the very idea behind Hogwarts. The room itself was uninspired and lifeless, like his room, and it had no personality. It was far different than what he remembered of Hogwarts since it had a thousand years of personality, but he realized it was up to him to begin it.

As was often the case, the idle mind wanders, and his hands fidgeted relentlessly. He could have spent the extra time to decorate the room to be a bit more welcoming, but instead, he conjured some targets to blow up. His life had changed so radically in the last week, where he went from being killed by Voldemort to being shunted back in time one thousand years away from the war.

Three targets formed before him, their wooden forms conjured effortlessly by the Elder Wand. He looked down at the ancient wand in consternation. That conjuration had been too easy, and he didn't quite trust the power of the wand. It was no wonder why people would murder their own family for it, if it made complex magic as easy as breathing.

The targets were vaguely humanoid shaped, that is, until he effortless gouged a hole through each of them with only a blurred flick of his wrist. He'd been decent at puncturing charms, but not so good as to blow a hole through twelve inches of wood without an incantation. He only had one year of learning silent casing, and a few actual applications of it in the next, but he'd never consider himself proficient at it. Never in the million years.

Then, he had acquired the Elder Wand.

He pointed the slender stick of white wood at the target once more, and with a quick slashing motion, a slice about a quarter inch fell off and clattered to the ground. With another subtle slash, a second slice joined its brother.

He never even muttered the words _Sectumsempra_, yet he could slice the wood with ease, and for the first time, it felt like he actually had a firm grasp on the magic. He could feel it burgeoning, to the point of contact, and with a slight movement, he hit the target once more, causing the slice of wood to fall neatly on top of the others. He hadn't seen such precision since the day he saw Dumbledore fight Voldemort in the Ministry, yet here he was, a youngling by all accounts, with a wand powerful enough to warp his beliefs. It was almost too good to be true, but if he hadn't seen what the wand could do with his own eyes, he'd never have believed the legends.

Harry lost himself in thought, remembering all the tragedy that the wand brought, even up until Dumbledore's death. Harry knew Dumbledore was a great wizard, even without the wand, but he must have been awfully cunning to defeat the previous owner of it, Gellert Grindelwald, considering it was supposed to be an unbeatable wand.

With a final delicate flick, he split the remainder of the target in half and allowed the two sides to fall neatly to the ground. He was brought out of his musings by the sound of clapping, from the twenty of so students that had walked into the room while his back was turned.

"Settle down, and please take a seat," Harry said quickly, not allowing himself to be embarrassed. Surprisingly, they all sat down without incident, and there were plenty of tables and chairs. Every single person in the classroom was different, and there were many different ages as well. There was a pudgy faced boy, and a girl with long, stringy brown hair, and the girl with various shades of earthly green hair.

When Harry taught the DA in his fifth year, he had taught several different age groups, so he wasn't concerned that some of the students were nearly his age, when he had actually taught some that were older. He decided to use his impromptu demonstration as a starting point.

"My name is Harry Potter, but you can refer to me as Instructor, or Sir. The spell you just witnessed was a powerful cutting charm, with an effect similar to that of an actual sword. But with real steel, you are restricted by your own strength, where as the spell would not be. I could not cut through that piece of wood with a sword even if I was twice as strong, but with magic, I did not even break a sweat. This is the type of power that anyone can harness with enough dedication. This class will teach you how to defend yourself against such magic. There are many spells and techniques I wish to share with you over the upcoming months and years, and as you progress, you will become stronger and learn more complex magic. For now though, we shall start with the basics."

Harry held up his wand with two fingers, showing it off to the class. He twirled it in a complex shape that any student with too much free time could do, and emitted a few multicolored bubbles.

"A wand," Harry started. He paused to let the word sink in. "Such a simple creation, yet so powerful, so meaningful. It is an extension of our magic, allowing us to focus it in ways that would not otherwise be possible. You can knock the head off a rose at twenty paces and not bend the stem, something you'd be hard pressed to do with anything else."

"You can levitate a chair, change the color of your hair, turn a rock into a snake, heal a fatal wound, or even turn lead into gold - if you have the knowledge. And as with every tale, there is a darker side. You can cause a man to have waking nightmares, or poison his water, turn his blood to stone, or even kill, with a single word. Magic is not a toy, nor is a wand."

Harry paused from his speech and flourished his wand, conjuring another target. This got several looks of awe from his assembled students. Then, with a silent spell, he blasted a hole straight through it. He purposefully didn't say the incantation, because he didn't want the students to start imitating him in private and blowing themselves up, or worse.

"It is a tool as much as it is a weapon," he continued. "And it bears the responsibility of such. You need to take care of it and treat it properly. This is where we shall start, and then, as this class progresses, I will show you how to defend yourself, from monster and man alike. This class will not be easy, but, I will try to let you have as much practice as possible, instead of listening to me teach you theory. I will even occasionally show you some creatures you may cross in the wild, some harmless, some not.

"So, everyone, please take out your wands. You will get to know it, and by extension, your magic, better than you know yourself. Anything less than that, and you are not using your full potential. We are witches and wizards, and magic is our livelihood. We have to potential to do great deeds, and it will all start from this day on. But first I will show you have to inspect and maintain your wand. The last thing you want to happen is for it to blow up in your hand, or break when you need it most."

Harry continued on with his lesson, and every student paid rapt attention. Harry knew it was a boring topic, but it was a sign of the times that all the students soaked up his every word. Hogwarts was such a new and ambitious idea, revolutionary even, and to have magical lessons from a plethora of teachers on many different subjects - it was unheard of.

It was such a mundane topic, even as arcane as a wand was, but it could be one of the most important lessons they learn - aside from the inevitable lesson on morality and consequences when they realized they can increase the standard of living by quite a bit. Harry remembered one of the first things Hagrid ever told him, and that was that if Muggles knew about magic, then they would want a miracle cure for everything. The same could still be applied now, except there was a possibility of being killed for witchcraft. Harry resolved for teaching a flame-freezing charm to be one of the first spells he would show.

After his first lesson was finished and he had imparted his glorious anecdotes involving Moody and blasting buttocks' off ( and Ron and his backfire slug vomiting spell) he made his way to the teachers communal area. He would have gone back to his room, but he didn't want to come off as a recluse, not on the very first day.

The room was furnished well and quite homely for the times. When compared to the rest of the devoid castle, it was downright extravagant. There were several comfortable chairs surrounding an ornate stone hearth. Above the hearth was a shield with the Hogwarts emblem on it, or at least, an early version of the emblem Harry remembered so fondly.

There were book shelves and cabinets all over the place, filled with items too dangerous for the students to get a hold of, or with just miscellaneous supplies. It was meticulously organized, so Harry immediately ruled out Godric of Salazar of having done it.

A few windows lined the walls, giving a nice view of the forest and the lake, and it was quite a nice day out. Rowena Ravenclaw sat under one of the windows, reading a scroll in the sunlight. She looked quite innocent and unassuming as her eyes devoured the text, and Harry thought she was rather pretty. She would have looked out of place in the war-torn Hogwarts which he left.

Godric poured himself a cup of water from an earthen jug on one of the shelves as Harry took a seat at the room's centerpiece. It was a large, round table, but not the definitive Round Table, but impressive none-the-less.

Upon seeing Harry, he grabbed another cup. "Would you like a cup? It's the best water around."

"What's so special about water?" Harry asked.

"There is an Everfilling Charm on this," Godric explained. "My great-great-great grandfather cast it on this jug a century ago, and it still works like a charm. "

Harry chuckled at the pun. "Alright. I am a bit thirsty after that lesson. Teaching is hard work."

"I'd say," Salazar Slytherin said, just arriving in the room himself. "I heard you we're blasting some targets into splinters, and then you went off and merely told them how to take proper care of their wand. Such an entrancing lesson, I'm sure, teasing them like that."

"I'm not going to teach them anything that could get themselves of others killed, at least not until I'm sure they can handle it," Harry responded. "I've seen wands backfire, and I've seen untrained wizards try to test spells beyond their caliber. Neither are things I want to see happen. And how did you hear about my lesson so quickly?"

"You don't need to defend your methods to me," Salazar let out a halting laugh. "And, my son was in your class."

"I didn't know you had a son," Harry stated.

"Well, now you do. If you get him hurt, do keep in mind that I will kill you," he said reasonably.

"That's… good to know." Harry replied cautiously. Slytherin nodded his head, grabbed a few scrolls off one of the shelves, and left again. It was then Harry vaguely recalled the kid from class. He had scoffed at Harry when he gave them a rundown of the basic spells he'd be teaching them. Harry could hardly be expected to remember everyone's name the first day.

"Don't mind him," Godric said, putting one scarred hand on Harry's shoulder. "He lost his wife a few years ago, and he hasn't been the same since. His progeny are all he has left to remind him of her."

"How did it happen?" Harry asked.

"It's not a pretty tale," the Founder replied. "And it's not my story to tell. She was murdered in a most gruesome and unforgiving manner… and we try not to bring it up if possible."

Harry nodded his head, not letting it show that he was shocked. Not shocked that Salazar's wife was murdered, but by the fact that Salazar had a wife at all. Then again, Harry had personally ended the Slytherin line when he killed Voldemort.

"Anyone else married that I should know about?" Harry asked, partly in jest, partly serious. It was important information to know.

"Married five years," Helga spoke up.

"Yeah, and she hasn't stopped gushing about how nice he is since," Godric said. "I've been waiting until the countryside becomes more stable before settling down, and Rowena would sooner marry her books."

"Oh, shush Godric. All because there are no women desperate enough to take you in doesn't mean you have to pass off your misfortune onto the rest of us."

Godric leaned in closer to Harry's ear and whispered. "She's just upset that her books don't snuggle back and talk to her.)

After sitting down, he took a deep pull from the surprising cold glass of water. He didn't have much to do until later that day when he had his second class to teach. There was a water clock on one shelf, made of silver, and it was quite intricate. It was only after staring at it for a minute did he come to the startling conclusion that he had smashed this very device in Dumbledore's office at the end of his fifth year. That was a bit too surreal for him to handle, so he turned his attention elsewhere.

Rowena noticed his wandering attention, not as if that was a difficult task, and offered him something to do. "I could use some help during my class, if you are willing, Harry. Providing you have a good hand with a quill."

"I can write proficiently, if that's what you're asking," Harry answered. "I have nothing else on my agenda, so I'd be more than willing to help."

"Perfect. Grab one of the large inkwells off the shelf. You'll need it."

It was about an hour later when Rowena's class assembled. He was and wasn't looking forward to it. On one hand, seeing Rowena Ravenclaw teach would be something. He was quite honored that she had asked him to help. But, on the other hand, he was to transcribe her lesson for later study. He was allergic to writing, but educating the future of the wizarding world was something he would dedicate himself too, even if there were some things he didn't like. There is an old saying after all, that to truly learn, you must teach.

Her class wasn't as large as Harry's given that she had been teaching the class since the first year of Hogwarts and there were different skill levels. This one in particular was the newest group of students, so there were still quite a lot of them, and they were all eager.

As Rowena started her lesson, Harry wrote the title page of the lesson out. _"Compendium of Sorcery: Part 1, as told by Rowena Ravenclaw, scribed by Harry Potter." _

When he wrote, his words were copied to twenty-five other scrolls. He and Rowena had imbued them with Protean Charms, which was a neat spell. Hermione had charmed some coins like that for the Defense Association, and Voldemort had branded his minions with it. In this case, he'd be saving his own hand many hours of extra work by just writing all the scrolls at once. It was much more reliable than a copy spell, which is little more than conjuration, or by temperamental self-writing charms.

"Have any of you wondered why?" Rowena said, starting her speech. "Why do we have magic, when so many others don't? It's a rare gift - perhaps one in every thousand of us can do magic. What makes us different? Where does magic come from? These are the kinds of questions that have been asked for thousands of years, but we still do not know the answer to. It is possible for a wizard to be born from two normal parents, or a normal child to be born from two magical parents, yet there is no distinct reason as to why this happens."

"So then, I ask again, what is magic? What is wizardry? What is witchcraft?" Rowena asked, not looking for an actual answer. "The answer to that is as simple as it is complex. Witchcraft can refer to magic when used by female, but it can also describe a whole separate methodology of magic. What is Druidism then? Shamanism? Runes?"

"They are all different ways to use magic, the harness it, to think about it… There are many ways to use magic to accomplish the same goal, but in the end, it doesn't matter what method you dedicate yourself to, it is still magic."

"We here at Hogwarts dedicate ourselves to Witchcraft and Wizardry, which mostly involves the use of a focus to harness our magic, in this case, our wands. Of course, there is a lot more to magic that just waving a wand around and speaking some incantations. On the other end from verbal magic is written magic, which takes the form of runes, and of course there is Alchemy and potions, so it is very hard to define anything as belonging to a specific type of magic, and magic is just magic. That is what you need to remember."

"Magic favors no gender. Witches and wizards can use the same exact spells just as effectively, but the impact this has on our culture is anything but consistent. You have the elders who are as old and unchanging in their ways as you'd expect. You will wind those types of people in any society, magical or not. These are the same people who think the relationship between a Master and Apprentice is borderline sacred, and that a female getting an apprentice ship is nearly unheard of.

"Perhaps that is why the idea of Hogwarts is appalling to them," Rowena continued. "But not everyone thinks that way. Our numbers have always been a fraction of the non-magicals, and there are some who realize that something has to change if our society is to continue on. There are some very old families out there, who have hoarded magical knowledge away for so long, that only their family knows of it, and when the last one of them dies, it will lost forever. This is what we're trying to change with Hogwarts. We want to spread our knowledge to anyone, regardless of what sort of background you come from, but we have to prove ourselves to our society as a whole before we become accepted. Half of the battle is actually finding potential witches or wizards, as there are many of them who go our whole lives realizing that they are magical, and trying to track these people down at an early age is proving tricky, but not impossible. But, I won't bore you with those details, I just wish to tell you what to expect in the coming years."

The students were all listening keenly to Rowena's words, even more so than Harry's class. They all seemed very interested in anything she had to say, which was a huge change from his time when students would crave any distraction to break up the monotony. Harry couldn't decide if that was because she was a good speaker, because she was quite attractive, or if her words were just interesting for someone who has minimal prior experience with magic. He decided it was probably all three.

"Let me tell you a story of when I was younger, around twelve. I had a wand and came from a family of witches and wizards, but I was relatively untrained. Apprenticeships are hard to obtain, even for prominent sons, so I was not surprised when I, like the rest of my family, would be taught by my parents and uncles. I was happy enough just to be learning the same things as my brothers, which was an uncommon occurrence. It was manly to be able to chop down a tree with a single spell - a man's spell, I laughed - but I realized I could do the exact same thing, just as easily, if not better. The only reason why I wouldn't be taught spells like that is cultural perception, and that is hard to escape for some people, and nearly impossible if you don't have magic."

"Anyways, when I was twelve, there was an invasion. There's been a few over the recent years, and your family have probably told you about them, but this one happened around where my family lived, as well as Gryffindor's and Slytherin's. It was a large invasion, which was ultimately repelled by the King's Army. But, like many magical places, the King wasn't even aware of our existence, let alone our land. Taking down a soldier with magic is fairly easy for an experienced wizard, but I was hardly experienced. And, when they have the element of surprise, and numbers, along with a bit of luck since they accidently destroyed our repelling charms with their fire… we were devastated."

"If there's a lesson to be learned, it's this. It doesn't matter how powerful, knowledgeable or prepared you may think you are. In the face of danger, surprise… death, it can destroy anyone's resolve. Fire is the great destroyer, and it destroyed hope, will, and fighting spirit."

Everyone was listening attentively, and they were all trying hard to not make as sound, because Rowena's story was very personal. Harry decided it was something that he shouldn't write down, or if he later decided too, it wouldn't be in a spell book.

"Nearly my entire family was killed that night. The fire consumed our home and property in minutes, and we were trapped so quick we couldn't escape or put out the fire. They panicked so much, that they couldn't coordinate a defense. I heard their screams – I still hear their screams. Any of them who managed to make it out of the fire met with the enemy soldiers."

Silence stretched on for a few minutes before a brave student spoke up. "How did you survive?"

"Luck. And a bit of quick thinking," Rowena admitted. "I didn't know many spells back then, but the ones I did know, I used to great effect. I knew the flame-freezing charm, so I was not so concerned about the fire, but the soldiers, I was. Everyone's heard the rumors of the bad things they do to girls, things I don't care to repeat, and they take the men and boys into slavery. Death would be preferable to that. But, some of the first spells I ever mastered were a levitating, banishing and body-binding charm. After I hid behind a book shelf for the good part of an hour, I steeled my nerves and made my escape. I wasn't nearly powerful enough to body-bind the burly soldiers in their full iron armor. But, I was able to cause a lot of chaos. In the midst of the dying flames, with my life on the line, I did some crazy magic I never want to try again."

Rowena paused for a few moments before continuing. The memory was obviously tough to remember, but there was a lesson to be told.

"They carried swords and axes. I… Levitation and banishing and the body-binds, a flurry of blades… more blood than twelve your old should ever see…" Rowena paused. "That's the difference between our kind and theirs. A wand can be a weapon, and even the easiest of spells can be deadly. Every single one of us is carrying a deadly tool, but it is up to us to be responsible for our actions, and to learn what is right and what is wrong. Ever since that night, I've dedicated myself to learning about magic, to make sure such an event never occurs again. Hogwarts is a result of that. There's enough protective magic on this castle that they will never learn of its existence. If they look upon Hogwarts, all they will see is a bunch of ruins and suddenly remember they got somewhere else to be. This place can never be consumed by fire, we can never be caught off guard, and we can never get trapped. This is the safest place you will ever find, and such a tragedy will never happen to me again, so long as I am here."

"On a more happier note… You will learn many types of magic while you are here. I survived that night because of innovation. Innovation is bred from freedom, and I want you all to forget about whatever preconceived notions you have, and don't judge anyone or anything, magical or not, until you've learned more, and experienced it."

"For sake of convenience, we have divided up our lessons into several branches of magic, but it would be impossible to cover even a tenth of what there is to know, and one never stops learning in their life. Transfiguration involves changing one object into another type of object, or even creating something from nothing, which is called conjuration. Charms will involve charms, of course, and also enchanting. Many spells you encounter in your daily lives will be charms, but there are also hexes, jinxes, and curses, which we categorize based on their effects. You will understand that better once you have seen some spells."

"You may be asking yourself 'how do we use magic then?'" Rowena said. "And I would answer that the easiest way to use magic is to cast spells, and we do that with our wands. A wand acts as a focus for our magic, otherwise it would be incoherent, and most likely not even form at all. But even then, that is only half of it. It takes our own focus to cast magic as well, concentration, discipline, and knowledge of what you want to occur. Your willpower is important, and without it, your spells may not have the desired effect, or they may not work at all. Once you have learned discipline, then, and only then, will you be able to start learning other techniques."

"I can talk about magic all day, or I can show you what I mean," Rowena declared. "I will teach you a spell, and you can see for yourselves that its effectiveness increases with how adept you are at it. Now, please, everyone take out your wands and copy what I do. Using the proper wand movements can be the difference between illuminating a room or setting it on fire, so it is important that you pay attention."

Harry continued to write down all of her words, but he was careful to omit the parts where she was addressing the class directly. In essence, he was writing a book, and quite possibly the first Hogwarts book in history. He didn't want to mess it up, and he had to make sure the lessons were clear so the students could refer to it later on.

"For some of you, this will be the first ever piece of magic you will learn, but it doesn't matter if I teach it to you, or any of the other instructors; most spells will involve the same basic steps. So, the first step is how you control your wand, and for this spell, you simply create a circle with your wand, but the trick for this particular effect is to stop at the same spot you started at. Doing that will give you the greatest effect, but it may still work if you are sloppy."

The students all obediently waved their wands around, most of them looking like idiots. Then again, most of them had never held a wand before that day. Even the way they gripped their wands was wrong, but that would be something they'd learn by doing, so Harry said nothing. It would not do to discourage a potential witch or wizard.

This went on for a few minutes while Rowena travelled the room and helped them with their form. It was a novel effort at best, but it did help some.

"Good. Now, the incantation is very simple. But, as with any spell, if you mispronounce it, it may either not work, or do something different entirely. Don't be afraid though, as we can undo any damage that is caused. The incantation for this spell is '_Lumos'_. If done correctly, you will notice light emitting from the end of your wand, and its brightness will be an indicator of how well you did it, up to a point. The spell is fairly harmless, yet very useful. But, do not point it at anyone's eyes."

Several weak calls of '_Lumos´_ echoed through the air, but no immediate successes.

"Do not be afraid to shout or yell the spell. Make your intentions clear. You now know the spell creates light, so envision it. You have to _want_ the spell to create light, otherwise the magic might disagree with you. If you don't want to create light, then the spell will never work. Confidence is everything.

Rowena's speech had an effect this time, as many shouts of the spell met their ears; all of them successful in one form another.

"Good, Good!" Rowena praised. "This is what magic is! Remember how the magic felt as your wand lit up, as this is just the start. To cancel the light, simply use the counter spell, '_Nox.'_ That will extinguish your light, and you can redo it again, perhaps even better this time."

The lesson continued like this, until all the students had a reasonable grasp on the spell. It was a very safe spell, and the students could easily try it a few dozen times before the class ended without getting too tired. Perhaps if Harry's class had learned that as their first spell first year, there would have been a lot less singed hair and burnt books.

Harry continued his writing by filling in an entry for the spell. He used a similar format for the listing to what he was used to from his time at Hogwarts, including the common name, incantation, pronunciation, spell type, description, usage, and the wand movements. It was quite categorical, and a bit out of the norm of what Harry was used to, but it was sort of neat.

The time-traveler was quite relieved when the class was finished though, as he had written more – willingly – than he had ever written before. But the end of the day couldn't come nearly quick enough. Between all his classes and Rowena's class, he was tired, and his hand was nearly stuck in a claw-like position from having held a quill for so long.

But, just when he'd thought he'd call it a night, Salazar wanted to talk with him, as was agreed when Harry had asked to teach at Hogwarts. Harry had been led to Salazar's 'workshop' which housed all sorts of odd things before he could even protest.

On one wall was a series of crates that held various snakes, which Harry shouldn't have been nearly so surprised to see, considering whose they were. The rest of the room looked like a messy store room with a bunch of crude metal devices strewn about.

Tucked away in one corner, however, was a plain table with a couple chairs and a few ordinary house decorations – a bit odd to see such normalcy in the midst of such chaos. It sort of reminded him of Dumbledore's office, with all the random knickknacks, which Harry was sure had some magical purpose.

"What did you think of your first day of teaching?" Salazar asked. He took his wand and neatly stacked some of the nearby crates with a simple swish. "Was it everything you were expecting?"

Harry casually took a seat across from the other wizard. He really wanted to just sleep in his bed, but he would entertain the other wizard's conversation. It was the polite thing to do, and Harry would not judge the man of crimes he or his descendants had not yet committed.

"I hadn't expected nearly all the students to be so receptive to learning. I barely taught them anything other than how to properly care for their wand to get the most out of their spells, but they absorbed that information as if I told them how to turn lead into gold."

"Learning magic is a privilege," Salazar responded after some thought. "But we're trying to make it so you don't need to be privileged to have this privileged, if that makes sense. That's not an easy mindset to overcome, so the random kid who comes from a long line of farmers will naturally take to this much keener than the son of a noble, who probably won't even be interested in this place. That type of child will probably continue to be privately tutored until we've proven that our school's combined services are much better and comprehensive that what a lone master can teach."

"There's nothing stopping them from seeking an apprenticeship after Hogwarts. We can live a plenty long time if we still have our magic, and there's no reason to stop learning as long as there's something to be gained from it."

"All true," Salazar admitted. "But change can never be too quick, otherwise you risk offending the people you are trying to help, even if they don't realize you're trying to help them. It will be more than a few years before anything of significance changes in our society, partly because we don't even know everyone who is in our society. There are hundreds of families and villages out there that we are not aware of, I wish to find them. The more people we can get here, the quicker we can get accepted by the elders as part of our society."

"And how do you plan on finding all these people if you don't know where to look?" Harry asked. "I know Rowena mentioned that you were planning something, but she didn't say what, and I haven't a clue of how you would go about that."

"If it was easy, it would have been figured out awhile ago," Salazar said blandly. "We don't know how to go about it, that's why we keep trying out different methods until we come up with a potential solution. It's not something that's ever been done before, but that doesn't mean it's not possible."

"Surely, you've decided on a good place to start? I mean, you don't really get that kind of idea without having an idea of where to start."

"Naturally," Salazar replied easily. He got up from his solid oak chair and walked over to one side of the room. "I can speak to snakes, you know. Nearly my whole extended family can. But I seem to be the only one of us who questions – why? Why can some of us use magic? Why can some of us talk to snakes? Are there other animals we can communicate to? What about the rare ability to turn into an animal? The ability to change the very physical structure of your body itself with just a thought? What determines who gets these gifts? Why can a witch and a wizard have a non-magical child, and why can a plain man and woman have a magical child? If we can determine this, then maybe, just maybe, we can use this to our advantage.

Harry mulled this for a minute. "Rowena was talking about such things before, but it sounds like you want to actually discover the source of our power? My first thought would be blood has something to do with it, well, not blood, but lineage… well, I don't know."

"One would think. Blood is a most potent source of magic, that much is true, but using blood in a spell is quite… frowned upon."

"People don't like talking about that kind of magic, but if the reward outweighs the risk, and if it can potentially change how we think about magic, then I think it's alright."

"Rowena can't stand blood," Salazar said with a smirk. "Even if the potential of discovering something interesting was there, she can't even look at a bleeding cut. I can look at it with indifference though, and I can see the potential in anything. If given the opportunity, I'd swap out a normal girl's blood with that of a witch to see if she'd gain magic powers –"

"Please tell me you haven't already done that," Harry said with a cringe.

"I won't tell you then, but I'll tell you it won't work. And I know that a witch and a wizard of the purest blood can have a... squib, and that it could be true that a wizard with two non-magical parents could quite possibly be a distant descendant of a pureblood, and that the magic is only just reoccurring in their bloodline again, but when I think about all these instances, I don't think blood has anything to do with magic at all, but it is something much more primal that that. Something much more fundamental to our very existence."

"So, you don't think blood is important at all?" Harry asked with surprise.

"Oh, no, you misunderstand me," Salazar said with a laugh. "Blood is the most important thing there is. There's power in it, more power than you can imagine. I'm not talking about bloodlines and ancestry and lineage though. Our power, it's what we are. Without it, we're normal, but with it, we can live hundreds of years, do great deeds worth of song… or settle for a life of mediocrity and not realize our potential. At least with Hogwarts, they will have a chance, but it all goes back to how? I think people who are born from magical families or more likely to realize the potential here, rather than those who merely take our world for granted."

Harry thought about Salazar's words for a second before deciding how to address them. "Well, if our source of magic isn't tied to something in our body, then it's got to be something that's not physical. I'm pretty sure that only a magical person can become a ghost, so there's something that persists that isn't part of our physical being."

"The metaphysical then," Salazar stated. "It's a good idea, one I've thought about before, but proving the theory is all but impossible I've found, without knowing a good place to start. How does one go about this? I don't know. There's no precedence. I _am_ the precedence," he clarified. "Hogwarts is the precedence, so it's all on me, and whoever wishes to help."

"Perhaps knowing exactly what you wish to accomplish is a start. You figure out what you want to know, and then you figure out a way to accomplish it. Like, detecting when a new witch or wizard is born, you would looks for the side effects of magic, not the magic itself."

"Interesting…" Salazar said in thought. "Yes – you've given me an idea, but, no, no, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We will need to plan, yes, no need to get hasty.

Salazar broke stride from his casual pacing and started collecting various items and scrolls from his workshop, seemingly at random. A piece of wood here, a metal rod there, and a small fire, and Harry had no clue what was going on.

"I don't want to get in your way, if you don't mind, but I would like to retire to my room. It seems like you are on a mission."

"Very well, off you go now," Salazar said without even looking in Harry's direction. "I shall not stop until this epiphany is played out."

Harry left without another word, partially afraid to get caught in the way of Salazar's frantic search. He was actually sort of scared that he may have provoked Salazar into discovering something disastrous. Regardless of whether Salazar did or not, Harry would sleep well that night.

Overall, Harry's day wasn't very exciting, but it was interesting. That was fine by him too, since he's had more than enough excitement in his short life to last a few lifetimes. Tomorrow would be a new day.

* * *

**Author's Notes; **_I guess I'm sort of obliged to put some notes here since it's been so long since I've posted , well, anything. I decided to forgo a beta, since I just couldn't be bothered. That being said, I'm sure there's plenty of errors in this chapter. I know this rewritten chapter is nothing groundbreaking, or even all that much different than the previous incarnation, but I think the changes are for the better. All the stuff that is talked about here is actually pertinent to the story, rather just some random magical theory that never gets used again like it was last time. I apologize if it's not as good as you were hoping, but I'm just trying to get the ball rolling again._

_I guess I'll cut to the chase. It's been something like nine months since I last updated this story. This is partially because I've been busy with my new job (I'm a mechanical engineer), and party because rewriting a story is a tedious task, since I would much rather be writing new fics (which I have started). I know a lot of my stories are sub-par, and I'm aware that pretty much the first five stories I posted are pretty much just shit. This story had a lot of promise I felt, and I enjoyed it, but I think it can be done better. That's what this rewrite is for. I'm not in a rush to finish this story or to even write the next chapter, and I can't guarantee when the next chapter will be done, or even the next chapter of any of my stories. That being said, I apologize to anyone whose been waiting for this story, and I do feel that this is the best HP/RR story out there, and I plan on continuing that. I don't plan on including any of the hugely annoying cliches or contrivances, or any of that stuff that just makes you want to instantly X out of a story._

_You may have noticed that I posted the first chapter to several stories a couple months back. I did this because I just didn't care to hold onto them any more. I write to entertain myself, first and foremost. I have a lot of nearly finished chapters to some of these stories (obscure clarity and under the darkened sky in particular) and I even have the next 2 or 3 chapters finished of the divine conspiracy. I also have the start of another story planned (another year 4 fic - sigh), and I may just post the first chapter of that one too, because like I said, I just do it to entertain myself, and I realize there are people who would love regular updates, but I just can't deliver that._


End file.
